A Bright Spot in Today's Bad News

Believe it or not, there is a bright spot in today's BLS employment report. It's found in Table A-9 - the median duration of unemployment fell to a 15-month low of 8.1 weeks in March 2008, the lowest level since December 2006, and matches the third lowest level in more than six years (see graph below). That means that 50% of those unemployed are finding employment within about two months, one of the lowest levels since 2001!

Comments

[drmalaka]

I have found full pieces of corn in my doo doo but that does not mean I am supposed to eat them.

[phdinsuntanning]

ethernal optimism! that is America: low paid jobs normally have huge rotation, you re tired of Mc job so you go to cut some grass and then you manage a few hedge funds, as they are collapsing you are moving around to commodity brokers and finally back to the bakery oven...

[user 2lakes]

So does this mean that when your good paying manufacturing job goes bye-bye forever you can get hired flipping burgers or stocking selves at a big box store for near minimum wage within just 8.1 weeks?

Mmm - Isn't America great?

[Will Rahal]

Take a look at a chart I created of Service Employment ex Health and Education. It is falling off a cliff.
See "the Precipice"
www.wrahal.blogspot.com /

[gordon]

Ridiculous argument without including how many just gave up finding a job entirely. Look at the 142,000 phantom jobs created by the BLS using their corrupt birth-death formula, in addition, subtract the 16,000 gov't jobs. www.bls.gov/web/cesbd.htm

[gordon]

Here's the March 2007 birth-death numbers, the BLS added 1,000 more phantom construction jobs this time than they did in March 2007. Are you telling me construction jobs are being created faster now than a year ago? www.bls.gov/ces/cesbdhst.htm

[John Egan]

Spoken like a guy who clearly has a solid good paying job and money behind him. Could this really be 'Larry Kudlow' in disguise?

Thx jegan

[pockyclips 2020]

I'm reading this article the same time I'm listening to Dennis Miller
questioning if there is a recession, or is it a vast Left wing plot.
I'm reminded of the old saw about recession is when some one
else loses their job, and a depression is when you lose yours.

These grape Kool-Aid drinking snobs better realize that entertainment is a discretionary expense, subject to downsizing
or elimination. Maybe then they'll get the message; mainstreet
America is in a recession, this is not a drill!

[Paul C]

I cant find any bullish or optimistic cases/viewpoints that make any sense. Its becoming a joke; all technicals, forward PEs, and garbage like this above. If anyone can direct me to a website/blog/money manager that is making a good case for a shallow recession, I would very much appreciate it.

[ponchovilla]

This type of commentary from PHD economists will soon put the profession of economics at a rating below lawyers and congressman. What make matters worse is the charts are generated from data that is probably "suspect" by people who sit behind a computer and avoid contact with the real world. Then this good news is delivered by a guy like George W and Larry Kudlow. Oh how the lambs are going to be sheered.