- Profile of Unemployment
Young people in North Carolina saw their unemployment rate double during the Great Recession.
Click here to read more from our Profile of Unemployment Series »
(Photo above from flickr, by talli_1985, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
- Average Weekly UI Payment = $290
How much does $290 mean to the average North Carolinian?
- Tar Heel Workers Speak
The economic downturn affected nearly all workers in N.C. Those hard hit by unemployment faced struggles to make ends meet and find work in a jobless recovery. The broader economy has suffered, too, as small businesses see a decline in demand for their goods and services. How has unemployment impacted you? How important is unemployment insurance in supporting your family in tough times? Share your story here »
(Photo at right from flickr, by stan, CC BY-SA 2.0)
- Petition Delivered to Congress
On Nov. 30th, the National Employment Law Project joined with unemployed workers, workers, and members of Congress to call for a renewal of the federal unemployment insurance programs currently scheduled to expire on Dec. 31st. Without action, nearly two million Americans will be cut off unemployment insurance in January alone, and six million will be cut off over the course of next year. Congress has never allowed emergency unemployment programs to expire with the unemployment rate above 7.2%. To read more about NELP’s work, visit www.nelp.org
- Jobs lost if UI not extended
Recent research released by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) shows that failure to extend unemployment insurance will ripple through the economy because of the role these dollars play in sustaining consumer spending and supporting businesses. EPI estimates that extending unemployment insurance benefits would save or create nearly 18,000 jobs in North Carolina. To read more, click here »
North Carolina, like the rest of America, has lost hundreds of thousands of jobs in the economic downturn. A recovery that generates the 500,000 jobs needed to replace those lost and that meets the demand for work among the growing workforce remains a long way off.
And to get there it is critical that the economy gets the support necessary to generate the spending and investment for job creation. The unemployment insurance system was designed at a moment of similar economic challenges to do just that. Intended to be an insurance system for the economy as a whole, the system was designed to replace the wages of workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own so that they can continue to spend in the economy and support businesses in tough times.
To fulfill this goal, however, the unemployment insurance system must continue to be a foundational support the economy. In order for it to be effective, the system must support workers out of work, provide sufficient wage replacement and generate economic activity that can sustain or create jobs.
North Carolina and federal policymakers must play a role by:
- Extending the emergency and federally funded provision of unemployment insurance through at least 2012 to ensure workers who have lost their jobs have a modest support to continue to participate as consumers in the economy.
- Protecting the state’s unemployment insurance system so that it serves its purpose as an insurance system for the broader economy. That will require North Carolina to continue existing levels of benefit payments and eligibility for maximum impact in the economy.
- Addressing the financing of the unemployment insurance trust fund so that the system is funded in good times and able to support the economy in downturns.
