Unemployment Might Linger

We've all heard the rumors that the economy is back on its way up. Sure, we hit 10,000 again (woo... yay, late 90s) and the market is showing signs of recovery but what a lot of folks don't seem to be seeing is the return of a robust job market.

According to a recent article that I spied on Boston.com - we've lost 7.2 million jobs as a country since December 2007. 7.2 million is quite a few jobs in case you were unaware. And even more startling is the fact that quite a few economists (from all walks of political life I might add) agree that we might not ever get those jobs back. We're currently hovering around 9.8% for unemployment with reasonable sources telling us that 10% is right around the corner.

10%. Now I know that the unemployment has big pockets in certain industries, towns, etc. but just for giggles, imagine that 10% of your friends and family are out of work. They may already be out of work so it should be easy. You may have a job but if 10% of those around you don't, things will change. Your life will be different. Imagine those 10% clamoring to do your job... better... faster... for less.

Click here to read the full article on Boston.com

Another article, in the Huffington Post, reminds us that our baseline against which we gauge growth is bottom of the barrel. Sure - we're improving. Sure - stocks are on the rise. Sure - the market is stronger than it's been in months. But let's face it - where it's been wasn't so hot. And lingering unemployment will continue to weigh us down.

Click here to read the full article in the Huffington Post