Which state is the biggest loser in jobs?

A dozen US states have fewer people working than at any time since the 1990s. For the biggest loser, the jobs bust has lasted since the 1980s.

|
Carlos Osorio/AP/File
Men waited outside the Staffing Network in southwest Detroit this past October. Michigan, one of the dozen biggest losers in terms of jobs, hasn't seen so few people on the job since Ronald Reagan was president.

For a dozen states in America, the 2000s have been a bust in terms of employment.

They started 2010 with fewer people at work than in 2000, according to revised figures released by the US Department of Labor on Tuesday.

For some states (see chart at left for complete list), the job bust has lasted just over a decade. The last time California and Delaware had so few workers on the job, people were worried about Y2K (late 1999).

For one state, the bust has lasted a generation. Not since Ronald Reagan was president (in August 1987) has Michigan seen total employment so low: 4.1 million.

IN PICTURES: Which state is the biggest loser in employment?

The states are a varied lot. They come from the West (California) and the East (Delaware), the Upper Midwest (Wisconsin) and the South (Alabama). They are rich (Massachusetts) and poor (West Virginia). Large and small.

Only 4 of the 12 states – Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan – saw employment improve between December and January, according the Labor Department data.

Across the whole country, workers' climb out of the great recession looks to be long and arduous. But for workers in these states, the first hurdle will simply be reaching the employment levels they had a decade or two ago.

IN PICTURES: Which state is the biggest loser in employment?

You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.

It may take the US a long time to dig out of unemployment. For a dozen states, it could take even longer.

QR Code to Which state is the biggest loser in jobs?
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/new-economy/2010/0310/Which-state-is-the-biggest-loser-in-jobs
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us