Posts by guest blogger

Length of Unemployment at All Time High

Posted by Guest Blogger on December 14, 2011 10:52 am
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Sean Brandon, InternBy Sean Brandon, Intern

While the U.S. unemployment rate fell to a 32-month low of 8.6% in November, the average duration of joblessness hit an all-time high — 40.9 weeks. This number has more than doubled since the start of the Great Recession in December 2007. Nevertheless, it should come as no surprise amid lingering unemployment. There are four job seekers for every job opening these days.

Using Temporary Workers to Forecast the PA Economy

Posted by Guest Blogger on November 29, 2011 9:10 am
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Sean Brandon, InternBy Sean Brandon, Intern

The employment services industry provides a variety of human resources services, including most notably supplying temporary workers to other businesses. Because of the unique characteristics of this industry, economists often use its job market trends as an economic forecasting tool. The reason is simple: When the economy starts to slide, the first workers to go are usually the temporary employees, but when the economy begins to pick up, businesses will hire temporary workers first.

State Insurance Regulators Deny Ratepayers Public Hearing on Highmark Rate Hike

Posted by Guest Blogger on October 21, 2011 9:15 am
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By Athena Ford, Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN)
Originally published October 19, 2011 on the PHAN Blog

Thousands of activists with the Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN) sent emails, signed petitions, called and showed up in person to ask the Pennsylvania Insurance Department for a real, public investigation into Highmark's proposed rate hike on the Special Care plan. But this week the department approved the increase, without holding a hearing.

Special Care is a limited benefit plan offered by the state's Blue Cross/Blue Shield providers. It was touted as an alternative when the Corbett administration ended the adultBasic health insurance program in February.

High Unemployment Leads to More Student Loan Defaults

Posted by Guest Blogger on September 29, 2011 1:32 pm
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Sean Brandon, InternBy Sean Brandon, Intern

The U.S. Department of Education recently released 2009 fiscal year data on the number of students defaulting on college loans. In a press release, the Department noted that the national default rate rose from 7% in 2008 to 8.8% in 2009, affecting loans for all types of colleges and universities. The default rate rose from 6% to 7.2% on loans for students at public institutions, 4% to 4.6% at private institutions, and 11.6% to 15% at for-profit institutions.

Among the states, Pennsylvania has the third highest number of higher learning institutions (behind California and New York) and a student default rate of only 6.6%, which is considerably better than the national rate. However, Pennsylvania is no exception when you compare the relationship between the unemployment rate and the borrower default rate. 

National Weakness in Economy Spreads to PA in August

Posted by Guest Blogger on September 21, 2011 2:39 pm
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Sean Brandon, InternBy Sean Brandon, Intern

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate rose to 8.2% in August but remains below the 9.1% national rate. Pennsylvania has been below the U.S. unemployment rate for 40 consecutive months, and at or below the U.S. rate for 58 consecutive months. This trend is in jeopardy, however, as Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate has risen eight-tenths of one percentage point since May.

About Those PA Job Numbers

Posted by Guest Blogger on August 26, 2011 11:50 am
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Sean Brandon, InternBy Sean Brandon, intern

Last week (while Third and State was on holiday), Pennsylvania’s July jobs report came out. The unemployment rate for July jumped from 7.6% to 7.8%, with 493,681 Pennsylvanians out of work.

More Americans Drawing Income from Unemployment, Social Security

Emma Lowenberg, InternBy Emma Lowenberg, Intern

The fact that the economy is still struggling is not news to anyone. The national unemployment rate has increased steadily since February. Now, at 9.2%, it is not too far from its peak of 9.9% in December 2009.

Nationally, the personal income of 20% of Americans comes from the government through programs like Social Security and unemployment benefits, according to a report in The New York Times. The percentage is even higher in the economically worst-off states – like Florida, Michigan, Ohio, and Arizona.

Study Shows Medicaid Has Positive Health, Financial Impacts

Posted by Guest Blogger on July 18, 2011 2:08 pm
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Emma Lowenberg, InternBy Emma Lowenberg, Intern

This just in: providing the poor with medical insurance has a positive impact!

What Cuts to Medicaid Could Mean For You, Your Family, Your Job

Posted by Guest Blogger on July 14, 2011 3:31 pm
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By Athena Ford, Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN)
Originally published July 1, 2011 on the PHAN Blog

Here’s something that won’t come as a surprise to you: Folks in Washington have some difficult decisions to make given the current fiscal and political climate. That, however, is not a free pass to gut Medicaid funding.

‘A Litany of Bad News’: What the Experts Are Saying about the June Jobs Report

Posted by Guest Blogger on July 12, 2011 3:48 pm
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Chaquenya JohnsonBy Chaquenya Johnson, Intern

As Center for American Progress senior economist Heather Boushey put it, the national jobs report in June is “a litany of bad news, with nothing below the headline number that can provide optimism that enhanced job growth is right around the corner.”

If the May report on unemployment and payroll statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was disappointing, June’s statistics are just as discouraging for the labor market.

The number of people unemployed (14.1 million), along with the unemployment rate (9.2%), remained essentially unchanged from May. The unemployment rates among the major worker groups — adult men, adult women, teenagers, whites, blacks, and Hispanics — showed little or no change.

What are the experts saying?