* Yeah, it may be slowing, but 21.5 million people receiving unemployment benefits is still a huge, huge problem…
Nearly 1.9 million people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, the ninth straight decline since applications spiked in mid-March, a sign that the gradual reopening of businesses has slowed the loss of jobs.
The diminishing pace suggests that the job market meltdown that was triggered by the coronavirus may have bottomed out as more companies call at least some of their former employees back to work.
In Illinois, 46,522 initial claims were filed for the week ended May 30, a decline of 11,741 from the previous week.
The total number of people who are now receiving jobless aid rose only slightly to 21.5 million, suggesting that rehiring is offsetting some of the ongoing layoffs.
* And check out this spin from the Illinois Policy Institute…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker imposed the nation’s strictest lockdown, but rather than save lives it quickly exposed minorities, and especially women, to harsh economic fates expected to take a decade to repair.
So, the IPI is suggesting that the stay at home order didn’t save lives? And everything I’ve ever seen about business closures is that they happened before and regardless of shutdown orders. But, IPI is gonna IPI.
- Former Downstater - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 10:11 am:
Then I’m sure IPI supports an increase in the minimum wage and access to health care to help those women and minorities. Gotta do the right thing, right?
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 10:15 am:
===imposed the nation’s strictest lockdown===
I’m not really sure this part is even remotely close to being true.
===So, the IPI is suggesting that the stay at home order didn’t save lives?===
The money behind the IPI likes to play the short term message game because they will just continue with whatever best suits them at that time, knowing full well that the people they target aren’t capable of keeping score so long as they keep them outraged and confused.
So making egregious claims won’t come back on them because the people that eat their content with a spoon won’t pay attention when 4 or 5 months from now there will thousands more dead from COVID-19 in Illinois, especially as we seem to be shooting for a thousand death per day nationally curve flattening.
- efudd - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 10:17 am:
IRN is also pushing that downstate Illinois had more positive cases per capita than other states of like demographics that didn’t have strict stay at homes.
Of course, no mention that other states, ahem, Missouri, have tested less than half their population per cap than Illinois.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 10:20 am:
===Gov. J.B. Pritzker imposed the nation’s strictest lockdown, but rather than save lives…===
Anytime it’s money over lives, note the speaker(s) making it about money over lives
IPI has always been about money.
IPI always gonna IPI.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 10:26 am:
“But, IPI is gonna IPI”
Illinois bent the coronavirus curve, per new cases and tests. That does not appear to be the case in certain “reopen” states, Texas, Georgia and Florida.
https://tinyurl.com/y9fuotlt
The IPI is part of the problem with racism, stripping union rights, opposing the ACA, cutting taxes and other policies that benefit the most privileged at the expense of so many POC and others. Who gets hurt the most, percentage-wise, when public employee unions are weakened or eliminated outright, which is a goal of the “taxation is theft” crowd?
- Frank talks - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 10:30 am:
Sorry didn’t realize IPI cared about so much about minorities and women? Oh wait they care about the white male bosses, who fund their spin, so they can continue to pay low wages and avoid healthcare benefits for workers.
- RNUG - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 10:48 am:
== as more companies call at least some of their former employees back to work. ==
If they will come back. My son works in the back part of the restaurant business and has been lucky enough to be employed 30+ hours the whole time. His brother-in-law does also at a different place, which shut down and has only recently reopened. The reopened place is having trouble getting people back; not getting responses to their ads. When asked, my son actually took a second job there (working around his primary one) to help out the owners, who he knows.
I’m kind of wondering if people on the lower end of the wage scale won’t come back until their unemployment and added bonus run out?
- King Louis XVI - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 10:50 am:
And to think that some Dem lawmakers work with the IPI trolls and take their PAC is beyond shameful.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 10:59 am:
=== And to think that some Dem lawmakers work with the IPI ===
Can you expand, please?
Thanks.
- Back to the Future - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 11:09 am:
Looking at the report that is cited, it seems the industry sectors hit the hardest in Illinois were also the industry sectors hit the hardest in every other state.
Just reading their data it seems that the majority of unemployment numbers had a lot more to do with industry sectors than “lockdown” orders.
- efudd - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 11:10 am:
King Louis XVI-
As far as spins go, that is pretty pathetic.
Wouldn’t hold my breath on that FOX news interview.
- IPI is an outright joke - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 11:53 am:
always will be. Might as well listen to Rand Paul if you want to hear nonsense
- Pundent - Thursday, Jun 4, 20 @ 12:07 pm:
I’m still seeing instances of businesses that could be open but have chosen not to. Most of this is in retail. There’s a calculus that has to be performed in the cost of opening vs. the revenue that it will bring.