44 States Shed Jobs in April

Job shedding continued last month
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted May 22, 2009 3:07 PM CDT
44 States Shed Jobs in April
Forty-four states lost jobs last month, led by California.   (Shutter Stock)

Instead of May flowers, April showers brought a flood of job losses, with 44 states notching declines, the Wall Street Journal reports. California led the pack with 63,700 positions cut, but its 11% unemployment rate trailed those of Michigan (12.9%), Oregon (12%), South Carolina (11.5%), and Rhode Island (11.1%). One bright spot: April saw fewer Americans involved in mass layoffs.

The US has lost a net total of 5.7 million jobs since the recession began. Fed chief Ben Bernanke hopes the pace of layoffs will decline, but even if that happens, the unemployment rate—currently 8.9%—is still expected to hit double digits. Meanwhile, Arkansas and Montana tied for the biggest payroll gains, and at 4%, North Dakota’s unemployment rate remains America’s lowest. (More unemployment stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X