Stuff YOU Should Know
Unemployment Down, Optimism Up
The data released each month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in particular, is watched very closely by many (btw included) to determine the ongoing state of our economy. September unemployment rate, which has been steadily dropping for several months, fell below 6 percent (5.9) for the first time since July of 2008 (and, on top of that, even better than had been predicted). A figure of 5.5 is what economists would consider a “health economy” and we see well on our way to reaching that number.
Some critics are wary of the numbers, however, warning that despite the progress the number of people who have stopped looking for work (and therefore not included in the unemployment report) has topped 100,000. On the other hand, many economists believe that despite this reality, it is the continual creation of new jobs that are ultimately responsible for the lowering unemployment numbers.
Employers added 248,000 jobs in September. Three of the industries showing the highest growth – healthcare, construction and business – all show increases in jobs where workers are likely to continue in a career (not just temporary employment). On a disappointing note, the hourly wage remains mostly flat and not currently keeping up with inflation.
What Do You Think? Do you have a job? If so, describe the environment in the workplace in terms of hiring, people staying or leaving. If not, see if you can find someone who is looking for a job and ask about his or her experience.
Truckers Need Women!
There are some industries that conjure certain stereotypes of its workers. The American Trucking Association (ATA) is hoping to change that. The trucking industry is currently experiencing a shortage of drivers. There are differing theories as to why this has happened – an aging workforce no longer interested (or able) to long-distance travel, wages that haven’t risen in the right proportion with inflation, government regulation, and the need to replace workers let go during the Great Recession. In addition, there are many more people coming out of high school who are going to college and increasingly less interested in traditional “blue collar” trades.
In response to these issues, the ATA has shifted its focus toward recruiting those of a different demographic, most notably, women. In doing so, it hopes to close the gap on its current shortage of about 20,000 drivers nationwide. An organization called Women in Trucking was created to assist women in finding the best career opportunities, minimize obstacles such as sexism and harassment, and promote the accomplishments of women in the industry.
Dig Deeper During World War II, many factories turned to women to fill positions that had been vacated by men joining the service and going off to war. Do some research and see if you can find other periods of time where women were specifically targeted to fill needed roles in the workforce.
Students Protest Changes in History
It is not unusual for a school district to make changes to its curriculum. What is unusual is for a crowd of students to actively protest those changes. This happened in Denver, Colorado. The College Board, a private membership organization that administers the SAT test, is also responsible for Advanced Placement (AP) programming for college-bound high school students all over the country. When presented with the new, national standards for U.S. History, the local school board in Jefferson Country (a suburb of Denver) responded with opposition and announced it would make its own modification.
The School Board has created a committee to make its own changes. They have created a proposal arguing that AP history materials should emphasize citizenship as well as the economic benefits of free enterprise and a respect for individual rights. These history materials should not promote or accept civil disorder. Many of the walk-out protests by students and teachers have been in response to the language in the proposal (which has since been toned down). Both sides claim to be in search of a balanced, thorough curriculum without bias. The College Board has responded by saying that, “any school who omits of the central concepts of its courses will lose its AP designation.”