Missouri unemployment rate tops 6 percent
It’s not surprising that when the economic news is bad, no news releases are forthcoming from the governor’s office. So it’s possible that you haven’t yet read that preliminary numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, released last week, show that May’s unemployment rate in Missouri was the worse it’s been since Gov. Matt Blunt took office.
May’s preliminary unemployment rate topped 6 percent for Missouri, the first time the number has been above 6 percent since the first month of Blunt’s term as governor. Actually, according to the numbers reported by BLS at the time, the state’s unemployment rate hasn’t been at 6 percent in more than a decade.
But the BLS has gone back and refigured rates for the years from 2003 to 2007, and based on those new rates, unemployment was last at 6 percent in January of 2005.
Either way, 6 percent unemployment is a sign of the economic troubles the state is currently experiencing.
Tony,
BLS just released the numbers this morning, but Blunt’s folks have had access for over a week since they are calculated by the Dept. of Economic Development before being sent up to the feds. If you check Blunt’s press release dates and cross reference with BLS release dates on months there is (was) remotely good news, Blunt’s office didn’t hesitate to release whatever they wanted to. You might note this hasn’t happened in a while now.
The Blunt administration’s selective use and release of economic figures is simply appalling. Even DED and MERIC can no longer be trusted to consistently release figures. I hope whoever takes over for Blunt in ‘09 can end the political manipulation of even the most basic of economic estimates!