Being Unemployed and Underemployed

Being a Detroiter where the unemployment rate is 50% and where 700,000 people cannot feed themselves, I am utterly annoyed at both liberal and conservative economists telling us that Americans do not want to pack meat or clean buildings. Recently, when there was a job fair at Cobo Hall here there were so many people in attendance that it was a mob scene. I found these statistics on the website of the Center for Immigration Studies:

Number unemployed or underemployed: As of the third quarter of 2009, there are 12.5 million unemployed native-born Americans, but the broader U-6 measure shows 21 million natives unemployed or underemployed.

There are 6.1 million natives with a high school education or less who are unemployed. Using the U-6 measure, it is 10.4 million.

In addition to those less-educated natives covered by U-6, there are another 18.7 million natives with a high school education or less not in the labor force, which means they are not looking for work.

The total number of less-educated (high school education or less) natives who are unemployed, underemployed, or not in the labor force is 29.1 million.

There also are 6.6 million native-born teenagers (16 and 17) not working.

To place these numbers in perspective, there are an estimated seven to eight million illegal immigrants holding jobs.

Unemployment rates for less-educated and younger workers:

As of the third quarter of 2009, the overall unemployment rate for native-born Americans is 9.5 percent; the U-6 measure shows it as 15.9 percent.

The unemployment rate for natives with a high school degree or less is 13.1 percent. Their U-6 measure is 21.9 percent.

The unemployment rate for natives with less than a high school education is 20.5 percent. Their U-6 measure is 32.4 percent.

The unemployment rate for young native-born Americans (18-29) who have only a high school education is 19 percent. Their U-6 measure is 31.2 percent.

The unemployment rate for native-born blacks with less than a high school education is 28.8 percent. Their U-6 measure is 42.2 percent.

The unemployment rate for young native-born blacks (18-29) with only a high school education is 27.1 percent. Their U-6 measure is 39.8 percent.

The unemployment rate for native-born Hispanics with less than a high school education is 23.2 percent. Their U-6 measure is 35.6 percent.

The unemployment rate for young native-born Hispanics (18-29) with only a high school degree is 20.9 percent. Their U-6 measure is 33.9 percent.

The overall unemployment rate for immigrants (legal and illegal) is 9.9 percent. Their U-6 measure is 19.6 percent, which is significantly higher than the rate for natives.

The unemployment rate for immigrants with less than a high school education is 12.3 percent. Their U-6 measure is 27.4 percent. The unemployment rate for young immigrants (18-29) with only a high school education is 12.2 percent. Their U-6 measure is 25.2 percent.

I find it completely ridiculous, even criminal, that our immigration and globalization policies, or the lack thereof, have not been the focus of our conversation and not this utterly facetious comment that Americans do not want to work at meat packing plants or clean buildings. Americans want to feed their families.

(For sake of clarity, I don't know much about the website that I have cited here, even though I am more likely to believe the stats above. What I am not particularly fond of is the terminology i.e., "native Americans." Not only does this term typically refer to the indigenous people of the Americas, but it could be seen as used divisely here and in various articles on the site. I, nonetheless, agree with and appreciate a few of the articles that I have read.)