Job loss for November down to 11,000
The unemployment figures for November released today show that only 11,000 jobs were lost, a stark contrast from soaring job loss numbers in the prior three months. Job losses are the lowest that they have been in two years. This is a welcome sign for our economy. Yet there is much work to be done.
The unemployment figures for November released today show that only 11,000 jobs were lost, a stark contrast from soaring job loss numbers in the prior three months. Job losses are the lowest that they have been in two years.
This is a welcome sign for our economy. Yet here is much work to be done.
Overall unemployment rates remain at 10%, only a slight improvement from October's 10.2%. And temporary holiday jobs are a major reason for the apparent slowing in job losses, offsetting continued losses in the construction and manufacturing industries.
Yesterday, President Obama convened a Jobs Summit at the White House to discuss creating jobs in the U.S. The President brought together a small group of leading CEOs, small business owners, labor leaders, and nonprofit heads for six targeted discussions on jobs creation. Green For All's CEO, Phaedra-Ellis Lamkins, participated in the discussion on The Innovation Agenda and Green Jobs of the Future. She discussed with President Obama the need for approaches that emphasize cash savings for struggling families. The group also discussed the possibility of an upcoming "Cash for Caulkers" program that will seek to translate the success of the "cash for clunkers" to energy-efficiency retrofits.
During the forum, Obama expressed a concern for a need to balance immediately creating jobs, usually in upkeep and repair work, and conducting larger "visionary" projects that would be slower at producing jobs.
Green jobs could be the solution to both. Audits for energy-efficiency and conducting retrofits on businesses and residential homes could put thousands of people to work immediately, while larger-scale projects, like restructuring America's energy grid, could provide thousands of jobs in the long term.
It looks like the President may share this vision for job creation. He indicated during the summit that the White House will soon introduce an "aggressive agenda for energy efficiency and weatherization" to create jobs and save Americans cash on their energy bills.
