I’d Like Two Scoops of Recession, Please!

Hello, Double Dip.

Examining North Carolina’s unemployment rate over the last year, one can’t help but notice the strikingly symbolic resemblance of a giant “U” stretching across the period of January 2010 to August 2011. A visual representation of the state’s serious unemployment problem.

It’s also reminiscent of the roller coaster of anxiety that so many North Carolinians have experienced over the course of this recession. The peaks and valleys have kept disappointing many who, just as they began to sigh in relief, were subjected to another sudden spike in unemployment.

 

The U.S. Department of Labor released its unemployment figures for September late last week, showing the national unemployment rate holding stubbornly at 9.1 percent. Next week, North Carolina’s numbers for September are expected to roll out. Given the results of a recent Civitas poll, which shows over 60 percent of North Carolinians expect it to take over two years to emerge from this recession, expectations aren’t very high.

Sorry to add a bit more gloom to your rainy Thursday afternoon…