WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2008
Highest Monthly Job Loss In 5 Years
Employers Slashed Payrolls By 159,000 In September
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Play CBS Video Video Unemployment On The Rise With many small businesses unable to cope with the financial crisis, economists predict further job losses. Anthony Mason reports.
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(CBS/AP)
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Interactive On The Job Explore America's labor economy, track recent major layoffs and meet key economic players.
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Section Weathering The Downturn In this economy, it's smart to save. CBS News shows you how.
Whether that's Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain, one of them will be dealing with the weakest employment climate in years.
Increasingly skittish employers dropped the ax even harder in September, chopping payrolls by 159,000 - more than double the cuts made just one month before. It was the ninth straight month of job losses. A staggering 760,000 jobs have disappeared so far this year.
The Labor Department's report, released Friday, also showed that the nation's unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, up sharply from 4.7 percent a year ago. Over the last year, the number of unemployed people has risen by 2.2 million to 9.5 million.
"Washington, the labor market has a problem," said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors. "Firms are hunkering down and running as lean as possible. ... We are likely to see more months of job losses before conditions turn around."
The unemployment rate for blacks shot up to 11.4 percent, the highest since late 2003.
Even with Congress' unprecedented $700 billion financial bailout, the faltering economy and the jobs market probably will get worse. Many believe the economy will jolt into reverse later this year - if it hasn't already and will stay sickly well into next year.
"The consensus of economists that I've talked to are saying we are now at the beginning of what is probably going to be a deep recession for the next six months," said CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason. "This bill had to pass to put a tourniquet on that - to hold it from getting worse - but the economy is going to go through a really rough ride."
The unemployment rate could hit 7 or 7.5 percent by late 2009. If that happens, it would mark the highest since after the 1990-91 recession. Some economists say the jobless rate could rise even more before the situation starts to get better.
Pressure is growing on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to do an about-face and lower a key interest rate in a bid to revive the economy. Many now think that will happen at the Fed's next meeting on Oct. 28-29 or even earlier.
The hope riding on such a move would be to spur nervous consumers and businesses to spend more freely again. They've clamped down as housing, credit and financial problems intensified last month, throwing Wall Street into chaos.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrials slid 157.47 points after relief over the bailout plan's passage gave way to worries about the economy.
Friday's employment snapshot is the last before America goes to the polls in November.
Mounting job losses, shrinking paychecks, shriveling nest eggs and rising foreclosures all have weighed heavily on American voters.
The economy is their No. 1 concern. An Associated Press-GfK poll earlier this week showed that likely voters now back Obama 48 percent to McCain's 41 percent. They believe Obama is better suited to lead the country through the financial turbulence.
"I will rebuild the middle class and create millions of new jobs by investing in infrastructure and renewable energy," vowed Obama.
McCain pledged to "open markets around the globe for our products, cut taxes and expand domestic production of energy ... I will create jobs and get the economy on the right track."
White House spokesman Tony Fratto called the latest employment figures disappointing "but not unexpected given the shocks to the economy."
The 159,000 tally of total job losses - government and private payrolls - was the most since March 2003, when the labor market was still struggling to get back on its feet after being knocked down by the 2001 recession. The picture was even darker for private employers. They cut 168,000 jobs last month, the 10th month of such losses.
The pink slips were widespread.
Manufacturers (especially auto makers), home builders, retailers, securities and investment firms, hotels and motels, accountants and bookkeepers, architects and engineers, and legal services all cut back. So did temporary help firms - usually a barometer of future hiring. That overwhelmed employment gains by the government, in education, health care and elsewhere.
Cost-cutting employers are getting rid of workers as companies chafe under all the economy's problems. Companies announcing layoffs in September included Hanesbrands Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Schering-Plough Corp., Alaska Airlines and Alcoa Inc.
Spooked consumers and businesses have pulled back so much that some analysts fear the economy could stall out - or even worse - shrink in the July-to-September quarter. Many predict the economy will contract in both the final quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year, meeting the classic definition of a recession.
"The economy was on the way down even before the latest tightening in the credit crunch," said Nigel Gault, economist at Global Insight.
Wage growth for workers is slowing, meaning they'll be more hard-pressed to spend and help the ailing economy.
Average hourly earnings rose to $18.17 in September, a 0.2 percent increase. That was half the pace logged in the previous month. Over the past year, wages have grown 3.4 percent, but paychecks aren't stretching as far because of high food and energy prices.
Strains on Americans were sorely evident. The number of consumer bankruptcy filings rose about 29 percent in September from a year ago, the American Bankruptcy Institute reported Friday.
The financial crisis that intensified in September is forcing a seismic shake-up on Wall Street.
Lehman Brothers, the country's fourth-largest investment bank, filed for bankruptcy protection. A weakened Merrill Lynch, deciding it couldn't go it alone anymore, found help in the arms of Bank of America. AIG was thrown a financial lifeline. And, the last two investment houses - Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley - decided to convert themselves into commercial banks to better weather the financial storms. The number of banks that have failed this year are up sharply from last year. On Friday, Wachovia Corp. said it will be acquired by Wells Fargo & Co. wiping out Wachovia's previous plan to sell its banking operations to rival suitor Citigroup Inc.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
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See all 49 CommentsPosted by mrcrosby1 at 12:57 AM : Oct 04, 2008
That is what Conservatives did when those Radicals overthrew the King so YOU will not be the first to leave for Canada. LOL When you KNOW what you have is the WORST and ONE of those who wants to replace the WORST says he will continue that SAME Policy? Yeah anyone supporting THAT insanity should leave... We''re much better off without that!
Doing what California can''t for over eighty years.
Rot in Hell, Juice, Buddy. What happens in Vegas, keepz U in Vegas Sheriff''s Dept.
Any Politician who is deliberately prevented from running by his own party is the Honest one you should have chosen, instead of Clinton v Paul, you have two Muppets which equals No Bloody Choice at all.
By the way, Has anyone seen CHENEY ?
Oh! as anyone seen Cheney ?
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but hey.....we''re not in a recession.
LOL!!!! You are so full of it!!!France has actually the 4th highest tax rate in the WORLD!
Enjoy the socialistic cesspool!
I called my bank (BofA) last week and arranged to withdraw my entire savings account except for about $50--so they''''d still have to do administrative work accounting for it and send me monthly statements. That was about $122,000 in total. It takes about a week advance notice to withdraw a large amount of money.
They freaked! They transferred me to 3 different managers to ask why and to try to talk me out of it. But I stonewalled them and told them I was absolutely committed to doing it. Then they tried to arrange for a cashier''''s check, but I wouldn''''t have any of it. "Cash only, please!," I said.
When I finally came into my local branch, they took me aside and tried to talk me out of it again. When I refused, they took me aside, away from all the other customers, and tried to do it all VERY quietly so no one else would see. That just pissed me off more.
I said in a very loud voice, "No, I want to withdraw all my money right now, all $122,000 of it! The banking industry has lost my trust. You guys have been playing fast and loose with MY money for a long time and I don''''t like it!"
People''''s heads in line turned. The bankers couldn''''t wait until I left.
If they want my trust, they should reduce their leverage to a reasonable amount, say, 1:5. EARN my trust; it''''s not free.
Posted by gce65 at 06:12 PM
LOL! Good for you!
As if anyone actually needed MORE evidence that Bush and the neocons have destroyed that which we hold most dear.
Other nations measure REAL unemployment, not the sham figures that the US measures.
I called my bank (BofA) last week and arranged to withdraw my entire savings account except for about $50--so they''d still have to do administrative work accounting for it and send me monthly statements. That was about $122,000 in total. It takes about a week advance notice to withdraw a large amount of money.
They freaked! They transferred me to 3 different managers to ask why and to try to talk me out of it. But I stonewalled them and told them I was absolutely committed to doing it. Then they tried to arrange for a cashier''s check, but I wouldn''t have any of it. "Cash only, please!," I said.
When I finally came into my local branch, they took me aside and tried to talk me out of it again. When I refused, they took me aside, away from all the other customers, and tried to do it all VERY quietly so no one else would see. That just pissed me off more.
I said in a very loud voice, "No, I want to withdraw all my money right now, all $122,000 of it! The banking industry has lost my trust. You guys have been playing fast and loose with MY money for a long time and I don''t like it!"
People''s heads in line turned. The bankers couldn''t wait until I left.
If they want my trust, they should reduce their leverage to a reasonable amount, say, 1:5. EARN my trust; it''s not free.
The Morons in charge, their agenda,,
Divide and conqour,,,
Thats the new political agenda,,,the haves, against the have nots.
Or class warfare,,,lets do it!!!
Lets Roll,,,middle class,,stand down,,,stop working,,we''ll show really who''s in charge.
And it''s us,,,the middle class.
This country can''t go without an engine, and the middle class is the engine that runs ths country.
You can''t out class the middleclass, and that''s for danm sure,,,,,
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Posted by omega40 at 01:33 PM : Oct 03, 2008
I agree!!!!
It''s time to hang these basturds. Plain and simple!!
Posted by redbds
This is not some story created by CBS, you IDIOT! Is is a report released by the U.S. Labor Department! The 6.1 percent stayed the same because they don''t count people who have given up looking for work! The story is being reported by all media outlets, so stop blaming the so called Liberal Media!
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See all 49 Comments