w:st="on">State Employment and
Unemployment: The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported regional
and state employment and unemployment for March (available at href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/laus.pdf"
title="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/laus.pdf">http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/laus.pdf).
Highlights of the report:
style='font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:
Symbol'>·
Non-farm payroll employment increased in
47 states and decreased in 3 states and the w:st="on">District of Columbia in March.
- Three states had over-the-month
changes in employment in March that were statistically significant, all
of which were increases. The gains were in Tennessee
(+12,400 jobs), Indiana (+12,000 jobs),
and Utah
(+8,600 jobs).
style='mso-list:Ignore'>·
Over the year ending in March, payroll
employment increased in 46 states and the District of
Columbia and decreased in 4 states (Indiana,
Michigan, Ohio,
and Wisconsin).
style='font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:
Symbol'>·
Unemployment rates declined in 30 states
and the District of Columbia
in March, 12 states recorded increases, and 8 states had no change.
- In March, w:st="on">Montana recorded the lowest
unemployment rate at 2.0%. The states with the next lowest rates
were Utah at 2.4%, Hawaii
at 2.5%, and Nebraska and w:st="on">Wyoming at
2.6%.
- Two states posted the
lowest jobless rates in their series – Montana
(2.0%) and Pennsylvania
(3.8%).
- Mississippi
and Michigan
reported the highest unemployment rates in March, 6.9% and 6.5%,
respectively.
- Eight states registered
statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate declines in
March (Illinois, Kansas,
Maryland, Massachusetts,
Montana, Nebraska,
South Dakota, and w:st="on">Texas). The remaining 42 states
and the District of Columbia
recorded unemployment rates that were not appreciably different from
those in February.
style='font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:
Symbol'>·
Over the year ending in March, the unemployment
rate declined in 36 states and the District
of Columbia, rose in 9 states, and was unchanged in 5
states.
Jeffrey Wrasestyle='color:blue'>
Chief Economist,
Senate Republicans
Joint Economic
Committee
H-805 w:st="on">Hart Senate
Office Buildingstyle='color:black'>
(202) 224-2335style='color:black'>
href="mailto:jeff_wrase@jec.senate.gov" title="mailto:jeff_wrase@jec.senate.gov">jeff_wrase@jec.senate.gov