01/28/2011 - And the hits just keep on coming.... In its
periodic update on the scourge of long-term unemployment, the
Pew Charitable Trusts notes the percentage of Americans out of
work for a year or longer is "roughly equivalent" to the
population of Kentucky. For those who haven't brushed up on your
geography lately, that translates into approximately 4.2 million
people or 30 percent of the 14 million Americans that are still
out of work. In its analysis of Labor Department data, Pew found
that the highest rate of prolonged unemployment since World War
II transcends the boundaries of age, education and industry. Pew
estimates benefits paid out as a result of the jobs crisis will
set the U.S. Treasury back $129 billion by the end of 2011. Read
the full article Long-Term Jobless Rate the Worst Since World
War II on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Web site.