Posted on 07/18/2009 4:18:03 PM PDT by AAABEST
There has been no reprieve for the unemployed in Lee County.
Lee County's unemployment rate hit 13 percent for the month of June, up from a revised rate of 12.5 percent for May 2009.
Statewide, Florida has a an unemployment rate of 10.6 percent for June, up from 10.3 percent for May. The last time the state's unemployment rate was higher than June 2009 was October 1975 when it was 11 percent.
Lee's unemployment rate is a record, and could very well be even higher once the numbers are reexamined.
"If the numbers follow the same pattern they have followed it probably will be revised higher," said Barbara Hartman, from the Career and Service Center in Fort Myers. "When the numbers come out for July, I wouldn't be surprised."
The national unemployment rate is at 9.5 percent, a figure Hartman said most Floridians, especially those in Lee County, would be happy with given the current circumstances.
With negative job growth, Hartman said most Lee employers are merely maintaining minimum staffing levels.
"The rest of the country seems alarmed at the high national rate, and I think we've adjusted to having double digit unemployment," Hartman added. "We would be more than glad, I think, to have 9.5."
Though there are no major hirings in Lee County on the horizon, Hartman thinks now is the time for people to take advantage of federal stimulus dollars aimed at re-educating people for "in demand fields," to be ready once the job market does start to recover.
If eligible, people can take advantage of up $6,500 in federal money to help learn skills in medical, IT, and coding, while taking classes at High Tech North and Edison State College.
"Anytime there's a downturn people turn to education to increase their skills. The stimulus funding is providing a great many opportunities," Hartman added.
Whether July's numbers will worsen remains to be seen, but the school district, along with the county government, will be dealing with budgetary woes that could lead to more layoffs.
"We seem to be hitting records consistently. Not that we want to, but that's the number were hitting," Hartman said.
I was thinking that zero said the stimulus bill would provide shovel ready jobs... the rush was so intense to get the bill passed so people would be put to work... I must of been wrong in thinking this meant soon.. not after a 4 year degree in animal husbandry...
Sure,
(1) During boom times you suck in every Mexican/S. American, and they find employment in non skilled construction.
(2) The lone males live together and send the bulk of their paychecks home, down Mexico (or below) way. The males with family (usually multiple, multiple kids) use the schools, medical services, etc.
(3) Then the bust time comes and many of the families stay here. Now they beef up the unemployment rolls and they soak up welfare and charity “services.” About half of the lone males remain too and also go the welfare/charity route; the rest go back South of the Border.
What are you left with? A bunch of unemployed “clients” who’ve got a lot of needs and a lot of gimmees.
(Kinda makes the Wal-Mart scene unpleasant shoping these Dog Days of Summer 2009)
That said, while it's a significant factor, it isn't by any means the cause of the entire problem. The Wall St./Federal Reserve clique and Washington politians have much blood on their hands also.
And yes, going to Walmart has become an absolutely insufferable experience. It's like visiting an indoor Arabian street market, filled with Chinese junk, located in a third world banana republic.
By shovel ready, they mean shoveling money to their biggest donors. That goes for all incumbents, not just Democrats.
When I need a house remodelated, Pedro’s the first guy I’m calling. I mean, look at all the things he’s qualified to do!
He’s licensed in every trade, I’m sure....
I don’t know what happened to all the illegals that used to be in Fort Myers, but I don’t see even half as many as I used to. Maybe many went back home.
I noticed the same thing. The long lines of them buying beer and lottery tickets at the convenience store have shortened considerably.
Ping to some Florida pals.
Exactly. Now only the caucasian rednecks do it. They’re sticking around for the long haul I guess. :-)
Heh... good catch
note the complete absence of any licensing or insurance numbers as required by law.
I have to wonder if Cape Coral property prices are due for another leg down, as newly-unemployed property owners fall victim to foreclosure.
The entire country is due for a leg down - and not only in property values.
Right now what we're seeing is mostly as a result of the financial meltdown. Now that the layoffs have begun in earnest, we'll see the effects of what happens when the good people (as opposed to deadbeats and speculators) start not being able to pay their bills and buy stuff.
Just what the world needs. Another million nurse's aides, half trained HTML programmers, and I don't know what the last one is supposed to be - either programming or medical coding. Neither did the author - take it to the bank.
The problem with Florida, is the Sunshine State has always taken the “build it and they will come to dance in the sunshine” without realizing that you must also attract EMPLOYERS in something other than real estate, construction or hotel work. This is why Port St. Lucie is filled with foreclosed homes. There are NO large companies to commute to in that area!
A lot less of them in the New York-area as well. Lots of Bangladeshis coming now for some odd reason.
Florida is mostly a service economy. It works well when along with a positive influx of permanent residents, we have vacationers and retirees spending time and money here.
Now however, the system that has served us so well for so long seems to have had monkey wrench thrown into it.
The Immokolee (sp) tomato farmers even sold some of their property. During the boom condo building (WCI, Bonita Bay, Premier Properties and so on) 50% of the tradesmen were Hispanic. You couldn't find a good qualified tradesmen.
Now it's over more or less and this is what you have. Lousy schools with mostly students who speak English as their second language and a bunch of bo-dunk unemployed rednecks living in Lehigh Acres. (With the exception of a few of course).
Crist, Martinez, Obama...ya’ll doing a great job!
They moved up to Highlands, Davenport, Haines City, Plant City, Lakeland.
Absolutely correct. I heard some song and dance that people left after the hurricanes hit the area...uhh...right. I guess it has nothing to do with the fact that there are no companies there.
Correct! And how!
Yesterday, in the Home Depot on Bird Road, Miami, Sheeples Republic of FloriDUH, a Mexican was inside the store, asking customers in the roof materials isle if they needed labor for a roof project.
An older chap, and with some English and the willingness to hunt for work where the customers were. In the AC, too.
But, initiative and all, he is still using social services he doesn't pay for, on top of being here illegally.
“And yes, going to Walmart has become an absolutely insufferable experience. It’s like visiting an indoor Arabian street market, filled with Chinese junk, located in a third world banana republic.”
Try the Wally World in Homestead, after 2am.
That’s when the Walmartians come out.
They prowl the isles in many Walmarts at 0 Dark Thirty.
Its 11.8% here in Citrus Co, Florida & will probably go higher.
My point of showing you and others this song was to tell you how Mexicans really feel about this country. They are here to make money and go back home. They don’t give a damn about the U.S.
They are here to take as much as they can so they can live an easy life in Mexico.
For those of you that are “Spanish Impaired” this song is a Mexican Corrido. It is a story about the “Rich Wetback” that wants to go home after making money all over America.
There is one funny part where he meets a blond woman in Florida and she tells him how she “loves Mexican Men.”
Part of me wants to empathize with their plight. Life is pretty damn bad in Mexico. Part of me wants to wring the necks of people that hire Mexicans...because they wouldn’t be here if people were not hiring them.
Then another part of me wants to kick ass. It’s a disgrace that we have such a drug ridden totalitarian government on our border.
We might as well annex the northern states of Mexico. Their entire GDP is from us anyway.
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