"Joe" wrote in message
.net...
In article ,
There's always regional problems, but the state of North Carolina
actually has a lower unemployment rate than the entire left-coast.

North Carolina - 4.6
Washington - 5.1
Oregon - 5.6
California - 5.0

http://www.nemw.org/unemp.htm

Sadly, unemployment rates aren't a true indicator of *REAL* unemployment.
As has been stated before, many people who don't have jobs are dropped from
the unemployment rolls, if they have gone thru the entire period of their
unemployment payments and still not found suitable employment.
Under-employment is another issue, as well. Just because someone came off
the unemployment rolls, doesn't mean they found a job that pays what they
once made. It is more likely that a furniture factory worker, who lost his
job due to outsourcing, will find a job, in the retail sector which pays
much less than his previous job paid In general, many more retail/service
industry jobs are filled, by the formerly unemployed, than high
paying/hi-tech jobs. What with outsourcing, under-employment and employment
of foreign workers--hi-tech or otherwise, official statistic don't
realistically indicate the health of the over-all economy, regionally or
nationally, IMMHO.

Op