Jobless Rate Climbs in 46 States

April 18th, 2009 By: Michael van der Galien | Tags: ,
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all in the red

For those who thought that the worst was behind us:

California and North Carolina in March posted their highest jobless rates in at least three decades, as unemployment increased in all but a handful of states during the month, the Labor Department said Friday.

California’s unemployment rate jumped to 11.2% in March, while North Carolina rose to 10.8%, the highest for both since the U.S. government began a comprehensive tally of state joblessness in 1976.

Especially California is in trouble:

The chief economist for California’s finance department, Howard Roth, said the state’s unemployment rate hasn’t been this high since reaching 11.7% in January 1941. The highest level on record in California is 14.7% in October 1940, he said.

California lost 62,100 jobs in March, with Florida next at 51,900 jobs lost, Texas at 47,100 and North Carolina at 41,300, according to the federal figures.

California, the nation’s most-populous state, has been hit particularly hard by the housing-market crash. That led to major job losses in the construction and financial industries. “We did it bigger in terms of the housing bubble,” Mr. Roth said. “You pay for that by falling farther.”

It’s clear to me what happened: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was unable or unwilling to behave like a fiscal conservative. He moved increasingly towards the center and you often get the impression he has become a Democrat in disguise.

The above actually means something when I say it: I do not accuse a Republican of acting like a Democrat lightly. When I do, it means he has truly become ‘the other.’

Perhaps a more conservative Republican will be Schwarzenegger’s successor. I am afraid not, however.

And that is quite sad: California is a gigantic state, with a large population and a sizeable economy. If any state can use a conservative helping hand, it is Cali.

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  1. Garland
    April 18th, 2009 at 20:19
    Reply | Quote | #1

    OK, so the worst-hit state has a R governor who is to blame for being a bit of a D. Question – out of all the states showing increasing jobless numbers, are the ones worst hit having mainly R or D governors? Just asking, since I do not know the answer.

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