US stats mask joblessness as bosses deepen exploitation

In face of the worldwide economic crisis—rooted in a slowdown of production, employment and trade—the bosses only “solution” is to deepen the exploitation of working people.

“The economy is growing stronger. The recovery is speeding up,” said Obama Feb. 3 in response to the government’s announcement that the unemployment rate declined to 8.3 percent in January from 8.5 percent the previous month.

These figures are “dangerously misleading,” noted Mohamed el-Erian in a Washington Post opinion piece the same day. “In fact, our current unemployment crisis is a force for broad and disruptive economic, political and social dislocations.”

The Labor Department simply does not count growing numbers of workers without jobs, shoving them into a “not in labor force” category. A record 1.2 million people dropped out of the labor force in January from the previous month.

Woody wrote:More part-time jobs, with benefits and decent pay is the last thing they want to do! IMO, right now employers are exploiting the employees they do have, adding more job responsibilities and longer hours.