http://vtdigger.org/2014/12/29/analysis-shows-high-percentage-men-ages-25-54-working-pockets-state/
ANALYSIS SHOWS HIGH PERCENTAGE OF MEN AGES 25 TO 54 NOT WORKING IN POCKETS OF THE STATE
CAROLYN SHAPIRO DEC. 29 2014, 5:42 AM LEAVE A COMMENT
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Vermont enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, but in some pockets of the state, high percentages of men of prime working age are out of a job.
Parts of Orleans County, as well as sections of Windsor and Caledonia counties and even downtown Burlington, have high percentages of men age 25 to 54 who are not working, according to census data compiled by The New York Times. An interactive national map that The Times published online earlier this month shows by county and census tract the percentage of men in this age group who are either unemployed – which means they’re looking for a job – or not in the labor force because they are disabled, retired, in school, home-based, discouraged from pursuing work, or seasonal workers in the off season.
The average rate of these non-working men is 16 percent nationwide, according to The Times. In Vermont, the city of Newport in Orleans County has the highest rate at 55 percent. In parts of Windsor County, including Springfield, as many as 47 percent of men age 25 to 54 aren’t working. An area that mostly encompasses downtown Burlington has 37 percent of that group out of work.
Some of the numbers aren’t surprising. “You have perennially higher unemployment in the Northeast Kingdom,” said Tom Kavet, an economist and public policy consultant for the state legislature. State efforts to bolster economic development and create jobs in that region have had little influence, he added.
Orleans County had an average unemployment rate of 6.2 percent in 2013, the highest of Vermont’s 14 counties, according to the Vermont Department of Labor in its most recent Labor Market Quarterly newsletter, released in September.
That rate climbed slightly this year, the labor department reported. Out of the 14 counties, Orleans placed sixth for labor force participation rates (68.2 percent), and employment-to-population ratios (63.9 percent). The department says the data suggests that many in Orleans County are actively looking for work but can’t find it. Seasonality may also be a factor in the high unemployment rate.
Vermont cannot put too much stock in these numbers, Kavet added. The Times derived its information from the American Community Survey, an annual sampling of demographic data that the census collects from a small percentage of the population, and took an average over five years, from 2009 to 2013.
Because the survey involves a small sample, the statistics can easily be skewed and become less meaningful in states with sparse populations, Kavet said. One of the higher rates in rural Windsor County, for example, was in a census tract with just 677 men in the 25-54 age range. Only a few of those would have been surveyed.
“You really can run into sampling challenges,” Kavet said.
Also, within that wide age span of nearly 30 years, an area with a disproportionate number of men at the older end or lower end of the range can change the outcome, he said. For example, men in their early 50s might choose to retire early – particularly if they are relatively well off – and could boost the rate of non-workers in an area with many mature residents. At the other extreme, a large number of graduate students in their late 20s could explain a high out-of-work rate in an area such as downtown Burlington, home of the University of Vermont.
With stagnant job growth in recent years, more college graduates have chosen to stay in school and pursue graduate degrees, Kavet pointed out.
Vermont has some spots with healthy employment rates among men of prime working age. In and around Essex in Chittenden County, 98 percent of this group have jobs. That rivals key U.S. spots with the highest levels of working men, including Manhattan’s Upper East Side in New York and northern California in the heart of the Internet boom.
Unemployment in Vermont was 4.3 percent in November, seasonally adjusted, compared with a U.S. rate of 5.8 percent. That ties the state for the 10th lowest rate in the country, according to the labor department.
And the outlook for more downtrodden areas is improving, Kavet added. “We’re seeing some solid job growth in the last couple of months,” he said. “That’s good. We’ve still got a long way to go.”
In other news, Vermont leadership pleased its filthy nuclear power plant is shutting down at last. Montpelier screams Entergy isn't doing enough to retrain 1000 affected workers!!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's lib-onomics for you! Tax, regulate, and eviscerate the private sector into oblivion while transferring the working age population onto public assistance, only to find that eventually there is no more private sector to foot the bill for such social engineering follies and implosion occurs. But the libtards in charge need not worry, for by their own design they will always be the last ones to lose their jobs and their paychecks.
ReplyDeleteDon't let industry in, maybe we can reach 60% soon!
ReplyDeleteGiven what is easily observable in and around Springfield, this is not surprising at all.
ReplyDeleteNow I understand why ShumlinCare is on the back burner.
ReplyDeleteMr. Gov na , why not continue the path to single payer health care ?
We tax payers should be happy to pick up the tab for those less fortunate.
Simple solution is to just raise our taxes.
That age group doesn't want to work anyway. They are just plain lazy!
ReplyDeleteOne of the things many opponents of single-payer don't realize is how much they, despite having fairly good private, for-profit (i.e., CIGNA, BC/BS and MVP in Vermont) policies, get gouged nevertheless. The Vermont Health Insurance Survey for 2012 asked, "How much did you pay in total for medical, dental and vision services?" Of private policy holders, 16.2%-- one out of every six-- paid over $5,000 out of pocket. Nine hundred and seventy-two Vermonters paid over $5 million.
ReplyDeleteYou would think that a family in Vermont-- median wage is $35,000, by the way-- would prefer some system that wouldn't force them to pay thousands for a pretend insurance policy and then an average of $480 a month on top of that.
AND jobs have been created by this screwed up Shumlin Plan.
DeleteIt is called Vermont Health Connect. A Middle Man outfit. I used to pay BCBSVT directly, now I pay the middle man. And you know what, the middle man is not doing a very good job. Shumlin said it cost 1.6 million to get that system going. I want the old system back. Pay the insurance company directly.
It did create jobs, too bad the jobs aren't in Vermont...
DeleteVermont Health Connect is the state's version of Obamacare, which is quite an improvement over the traditional model in some respects-- no lifetime caps on treatment, no discriminating against pre-existing conditions. But it still has flaws-- you lose your job and can't keep up payments, you lose the insurance; the company's plan might not cover really expensive treatments, period; and if you can only afford the cheapest plan, you will have to come up with $5,000or $6,000 in out-of-pocket payments before it will start to pay. It is also more expensive to "administer" (code for corporate profit-taking), since 15% is guaranteed to the insurance companies, and drug companies are guaranteed $80 billion in profits for the first decade. A single payer plan will eliminate those problems-- if it's done right.
DeleteThere are way too many benefits for people not to work in this area. I am on the very edge of deciding myself not to work. It seems so much easier to collect the money the state will give me to stay home.
ReplyDeleteCould you be more specific about this? How much are you making now, and how much will you be making if you do not work?
DeleteBy area, do you mean the state of Vermont or do you mean Windsor County, just curious.
DeleteVermont is eighth highest state for Welfare payments! Cash and benefits can total more that $42,000.00 per recipient. http://freepatriot.org/2014/02/26/welfare-payout-statistics-will-make-really-angry/ Why work when all you have to do is vote democrat!?
DeleteWELCOME TO WEST VIRGINIA..OH SORRY DETROIT...I APOLOGIZE THATS RIGHT ITS VERMONT
ReplyDeleteRE: In parts of Windsor County, including Springfield, as many as 47 percent of men age 25 to 54 aren’t working.
ReplyDeleteAs a small business owner that has interviewed dozens in this demographic, I agree with the data. The root issue is their unemployability. Primarily, negative references and inability to pass a drug screen test. Both disqualifiers being entirely of their own hand.
Keep in mind, Springfield has the highest dropout rate in Vermont. These young adults have minimal academic skills and typically choose to quit any endeavor that tests their competency. Rather then risk punitive unemployment taxation, I and most other employers will immediately discard any such application.
Wish to change that? Eliminate EBT cards and extended unemployment benefits for anyone fit to work. Maine has recently done it, no reason Vermont can't too.
THAT'S*^ , IT'S *^
ReplyDeleteHere's a quote from the article: "Vermont cannot put too much stock in these numbers, Kavet added. The Times derived its information from the American Community Survey, an annual sampling of demographic data that the census collects from a small percentage of the population, and took an average over five years, from 2009 to 2013.
ReplyDeleteBecause the survey involves a small sample, the statistics can easily be skewed and become less meaningful in states with sparse populations, Kavet said. One of the higher rates in rural Windsor County, for example, was in a census tract with just 677 men in the 25-54 age range. Only a few of those would have been surveyed."
Would anybody like to look at the census data and report to the rest of us?