The tens of thousands from the Detroit 3 automakers. Most
hiring managers, who read this type of information, assume
there are plenty of people available for job openings. The numbers prove that any hiring manager who makes that assumption is sadly mistaken.

In early March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released figures that state the national unemployment number is 4.9 percent. The number released by the state of Michigan states its unemployment number is 7.1 percent. In Michigan, there are some numbers just below the surface of the headlines, which create the figure of 7.1 percent. For example, if someone in Wayne County is a GED holder, or has no educational certification or high school diploma; the chances of this individual being unemployed is over 10 percent. Conversely, an Oakland County resident with a bachelor’s degree has a less than 2 percent chance of being unemployed.

What is never mentioned nationally or locally is a group of the population that is labeled the Chronically Unemployed. This is a demographic labeled by the BLS that will never hold a steady job for a variety of reasons. This particular group’s national unemployment number is 3 percent. As the graph below indicates, if you subtract the Chronically Unemployed category from the National and State figures, there is quite a dramatic drop in the true number of people employers can actually put to work.

i. National Unemployment of 4.9%, March 2008

ii. Michigan Unemployment 7.1% March 2008

a. Wayne County GED holder or less 10%

b. Oakland County College Degree holder under 2%

ii. Chronically Unemployed nationally is 3%, per the BLS

a. Skill set

b. Desire/Interest

c. The overcompensated, undereducated

vi. A net total Unemployment number for March 2008

a. National 1.9%

b. Michigan 4.1%

Hiring managers should take heed of these numbers. Nationally, we are essentially at full employment.