Fox’s Hemmer Falsely Claims Only A “Few States” Have Seen Unemployment Drop
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on December 23rd, 2011 5:42 am by HL
Fox’s Hemmer Falsely Claims Only A “Few States” Have Seen Unemployment Drop
Teasing a segment with Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Fox News’ Bill Hemmer described Ohio as “one of the few states to see a drop in unemployment” and asked, “So what are they doing right?” In fact, the unemployment rate fell in 43 states in November.
Hemmer Asks What Ohio Is “Doing Right” On Jobs
Hemmer: Ohio Is “One Of The Few States To See A Drop In Unemployment.” From Fox News’ America’s Newsroom:
HEMMER: One of the few states to see a drop in unemployment — not a big drop but a drop nonetheless — the great state of Ohio. So what are they doing right? We’ll talk to the governor, John Kasich, about that. [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 12/22/11]
In Fact, Most States Have Seen Economic Growth, Lower Unemployment In Recent Months
AP: “Unemployment Rates Fell In 43 States In November, The Most Number Of States To Report Such Declines In Eight Years.” From the Associated Press:
WASHINGTON — Unemployment rates fell in 43 states in November, the most number of states to report such declines in eight years.
The falling state rates reflect the brightening jobs picture nationally. The U.S. unemployment rate fell sharply in November to 8.6 percent, the lowest since March 2009. The economy has generated 100,000 or more jobs five months in a row — the first time that’s happened since 2006, before the Great Recession.
Only three states reported higher unemployment rates in November, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Four states showed no change.
Nevada for the 18th straight month had the highest state unemployment rate: 13 percent. It was followed by California at 11.3 percent. North Dakota again enjoyed the lowest unemployment rate: 3.4 percent. It was followed by Nebraska at 4.1 percent and South Dakota at 4.3 percent.
The biggest decline in the unemployment rate in November compared with October was in Michigan. Its rate dropped by 0.8 percentage point to 9.8 percent, from 10.6 percent in October. [Associated Press, 12/20/11]
Fed Data Shows Economic Growth Has Been Widespread. From the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s coincident indexes for November 2011, which combine four state-level indicators — nonfarm payroll employment, average hours worked in manufacturing, the unemployment rate, and wage and salary disbursements deflated by the consumer price index — to summarize current economic conditions in a single statistic:
[Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, 12/22/11]
