Unemployment Rate The Disparity in the Unemployment Rate in the United States A recent article in the Sun Journal by Margaret Fisher (2012) has raised some serious questions as to the true state of the economy. While statistics from the department of labor assert the unemployment rate has dropped, giving the impression that the economy is in a recovery mode, Fisher maintains that this is misleading due to the fact that many

Unemployment rate in the United States has fluctuated between nine and ten percent for well over two years now ("Labor Force Statistics"). That rate is more than double what it was a mere ten years ago, putting millions more Americans on the unemployment compensation rolls. More alarming than the numbers is the general feeling of pessimism that has enveloped the country as the population wonders when the economy might turn

For example, one Pontiac Assembly plant in Pontiac, Michigan, "was running three consecutive eight-hour shifts, employing 3,000 people and making 1,300 trucks a day," in 2003, but in the summer of 2009, the plant had only 600 workers and "was running just one shift" (Mahler 2009, p.1). As a result of the failure of GM, the housing bubble, and the explosion of easy credit and 'creative' financing, many Michigan

Thus, the testing will not only expose a relationship, but may shed light into how it will continue to evolve in the future. Using Microsoft Excel, a regression test was administered for each individual independent variable as it related to the dependent variable of general unemployment in Detroit. Data Automotive Industry Employment rates in thousands Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 96.9 2009 79.5 86.6 86.2 85.4 77.2 73.4 73.5 80.5 84.3 83.9 82.8 83.9 81.4 2010 82.7 82.7 82.6 83.3 83.8 85.0 81.2 83.3 87.6 89.4 89.8 90.2 85.1 2011 89.4 90.4 91.2 93.1 93.4 94.1 83.3 92.0 94.7 96.3 96.7 97.4 92.7 2012 97.6 98.2 99.3 97.4 98.5 99.5 95.8 96.8 97.7 97.7(P) P: Preliminary (United States Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012) Year Period labor force employment unemployment OUTPUT Regression Statistics Multiple R 0.872748 R Square 0.761689 Adjusted R. Square 0.7319 Standard Error 1.573775 Observations 10 ANOVA df SS MS F Significance

"The Detroit, Michigan drop-out rate among black males is 50%, the Detroit unemployment rate among black males is 50%" (Kill 145). This demonstrates that education is very important when considering unemployment rates and that the auto industry is, to a certain degree, not the only institution responsible for the critical conditions currently faced by individuals in Michigan. Although it is difficult to determine what other factors are responsible for the

For the purpose of this discussion we will explain the economic impact of unemployment rates. One of the main impacts of unemployment on the economy is that it inhibits people's ability to pay for necessities and luxury items and in doing so consumer confidence is diminished ("Unemployment"). In addition when people are unable to purchase their basic necessities they begin to utilize welfare programs which can be associated with