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Sunday, April 13, 2014

Late Breaking News - Wicomico County's Latest Jobs Numbers (February) In From US Bureau of Labor - Wicomico's Economy Continues Downward Spiral

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics just released the latest news for Wicomico's Labor Force - (click onto Link).  Last month (January) - the preliminary release showed that Wicomico gained 20 jobs over 2013 - well that number was revised downward and Wicomico actually lost 140 from its Workforce.  And February was another bad month as it shows that Wicomico lost another 707.  Folks, we are not making this stuff up.  Wicomico has been bleeding jobs for 14 consecutive months.  And out of the past 25 months, Wicomico has lost ground in 19 of those months. 

And this does not bode well - as Wicomico's Finance Director recently revised the Employment Digression Analysis -(February 4th, 2014 County Council Meeting) - to a basis level of 47,600 jobs - down from the original target of 49,000 jobs.  However, as one can tell by the chart below - even the revised number overstates what is happening in our current Labor market as the latest employment number was reported from the US BLS as 46,566 - far below even the latest revised target.  



Labor Force Data By County, Not Seasonally Adjusted 
01-2011 through 02-2014
Source:  Bureau of Labor Statistics
Unemploy.Change over prior 
CountyPeriodLabor ForceEmployedUnemployedRate %years 2011 - 2014
Wicomico11-Jan5225646848540810.3
Wicomico11-Feb5297647698527810
Wicomico11-Mar535864873048569.1
Wicomico11-Apr532114861945928.6
Wicomico11-May536724901346598.7
Wicomico11-Jun542084919350129.3
Wicomico11-Jul539024887850249.3
Wicomico11-Aug531734815350209.4
Wicomico11-Sep537494888248679.1
Wicomico11-Oct529884818248069.1
Wicomico11-Nov525594763749229.4
Wicomico11-Dec523674744049279.4
Wicomico12-Jan511734664651279.9-1010
Wicomico12-Feb525414742151209.7-435
Wicomico12-Mar527344800147339-852
Wicomico12-Apr521964789643008.2-1015
Wicomico12-May534944909444008.2-178
Wicomico12-Jun541974952546728.6-11
Wicomico12-Jul548015016146408.5899
Wicomico12-Aug537074929944088.2534
Wicomico12-Sep532854911841677.8-464
Wicomico12-Oct528674858042878.1-121
Wicomico12-Nov527964841143858.3237
Wicomico12-Dec532344860846268.7867
Wicomico13-Jan511894629648939.616
Wicomico13-Feb514384676446749.1-1103
Wicomico13-Mar521014760744948.6-633
Wicomico13-Apr517134750842058.1-1073
Wicomico13-May526724829043828.3-822
Wicomico13-Jun525954784247539-1602
Wicomico13-Jul529644858843768.3-1837
Wicomico13-Aug520554803440217.7-1652
Wicomico13-Sep519354810338327.4-1350
Wicomico13-Oct518964770641908.10%-971
Wicomico13-Nov515774738241958.10%-1219
Wicomico13-Dec513714730440677.90%-1863
Wicomico14-Jan510494671143388.50%-140r
Wicomico14-Feb507314656641658.20%-707p
-16505less 
p = preliminary.SOURCE:  BLS, LAUSworkforce
r = revised9-Apr-14

45 comments:

  1. Not to worry -- Ricky's new budget (Tax to The Max) will stop the bleeding!

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  2. Joe:

    Thanks for another warning that we are approaching the point of no return and will surely pass it if Pollitt is reelected.

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  3. Seems like a good time for Rick the Dick to tax us again.

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  4. Wait just a sec. Big Wayne said the we are turning around.

    I guess he means so we can dig deeper on the other side of the hole that Pollitt has put us in.

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  5. Hummm, these are not good numbers. In fact, I would say that this confirms we are officially in a Depression.

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  6. I would just like to know where are all of the people going? Isn't our general population suppose to be increasing.

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  7. 7:41 - The general population you are referring to are moochers...not producers...and they vote for continued mooching!

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  8. 7:39 ah duh officially? Really? Like all the other numbers for the past year, officially, pointed to nothing?

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  9. I think our area got hit worse than most areas of the Country. But it seems as though we would have started to pull out by now. I agree this is not good news.

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  10. 7:41 AM - Where are all the people going? Anywhere but Maryland, that's where.

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  11. You post the figures frequently so this should not be "major news" to anyone. What is your answer for turning this around, besides putting all the blame on others.

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  12. anonymous 7:49, While I am NOT your County Executive, your question is fair.

    I'd suggest to the County Residents that they make an immediate change in their leadership. I'd suggest voters elect Bob Culver as Rick Pollitt has absolutely, (100%) proven he is not fit to do the job.

    I have told each and every one of you what I would do, many times over.

    You need a STRONG Economic Development Director to bring god paying jobs and industry to Salisbury and Wicomico County.

    Rick has NOT done so. Rick continues to support the people who are there now and that must change immediately.
    You need a County Executive that does not take off every single Friday ever since he started working.

    Seriously, I will laugh like there's no tomorrow if this County re elects Rick Pollitt. It will prove just how stupid people are here. It's like getting run over by a car, healing and then going right back to the same spot and get run over again.

    You have a great opportunity to elect someone new with a strong business background. It's time to make that change and give it a shot.

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  13. People. Just look around your city and county, up and down your streets and roads. Blight everywhere, no jobs, almost no hope. Watch atm's in WAWA and Royal Farms..able bodied men and women using EBT cards one after the other. People you need to wake up and take charge of your government. This is your responsibility qur government is way out of control and we need to correct that. Get your head out of the sand and start doing something.

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  14. Thank you Joe. We will be voting for Bob Culver.

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  15. 7:49-At this point in time, the focus should be on cutting spending. Put a halt to it. Every department can shave off something. Then they need to think forwardly. I know it was a city thing, but take the fireboat for instance. While it may have been "free" initially, it is and will continue to cost money in the future.
    7:59-We are in a bind with these EBT cards. Every time that card is swiped, some bank gets a fee. Some of the contracts the feds awarded banks to process the cards were in the billions of dollars. Besides Big Food, retailers (Walmart being one) the banks were one of the main lobbys in the EBT expansion and were opposed to the cutting of the food entitlements.
    When Big Business says jump, the democrats jump. The democrats are like the slaves to Big Business. They do their dirty work and gladly take the blame because Big Business is lining their pockets.

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  16. And you can add in losses from Famous Daves and Standard Register...

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  17. 8:16 stop with the bid business bashing. it is the private sector that will bring us out of this. i have a construction business and have been looking for able bodied superintendants, we are willing to pay a good salary, provide health insurance and we can't find anyone local under the age of 50 that wants to work. what is that telling you?? to me it says that we have created a bunch of young lazy people who have no clue that you have to work to earn a living. it is the government that has to stop. Socialism does not create hard working people

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  18. 7:58 AM same old answer, blame others BUT no answer to correct the problem. To say DON'T re-elect, period, will not turn things around.

    Blaming others, will not turn the economy around for Salisbury, Wicomico, Maryland and the USA? The people voted "change", twice, with Obama. That sure proved a disaster.

    Who can the people vote in, that is a guarantee our economy will turn around? Who can the people vote in that can bust all the rules and regulations to turn our economy around?

    From my expectations of better, I find the promises during campaigns, change to be exactly the same (or worse) as their predecessor. Once the newly elected take office they find they cannot make the changes of their platform promises.

    Due to government regulations and red tape and paper work, they find promises are easier spoken than changed. Or some I feel choose to go the flow and wallets grow thicker.

    A candidate can promise us anything when on the outside looking in. Once, elected, they are educated to the real facts of following through with promises.

    I do not have the answer or any suggestions. As long as our government continues to run our nation as a Nanny State, giving away new freebies daily, there will be no change for the economy in the USA. Maryland, Wicomico or Salisbury.

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  19. Excuse me,but after reading your comment I fell out of my chair.Are you saying that EBT cards can be used in ATM machines?Pardon my ignorance,but if they can I had no knowledge of that.

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  20. No surprise here. I wrote on this blog that a "correction" would be forthcoming.

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  21. 9:08 smacks the nail on the head.

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  22. Rumor has it that K&L Microwave is about to fold, too.

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  23. And another tax increase will be put on the backs of the people by Pollitt and Strausberg in July.

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  24. That writing on the wall at the Back Door Grill that got Wayne upset stated the only good answer.

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  25. 9:02-You are incorrect. Big business is killing small businesses. The communist/socialist/facist agenda is to have all services/trade/commerce controlled by a handful of big businesses and the big businesses want that as well. Look no further than the latest MD minimum wage increase. The biggest and loudest lobby behind that was the big box store Costco. Look it up. It's was all over the news in MD. Every time a small independent business closes it's more money for the big operations. They are behind any and all regulations put forth on businesses. Since the advent of anti trust laws they regulation to rid the competition.

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  26. EBT cards can be used in ATM machines?

    Where have you been? All the debit cards issued by Government was electronically given a balance. The user accesses that balance at the register or at the ATM. In the case of an ATM, how do you distinguish between cash for good things or cash for bad things?

    Like the Gift Cards the local Government people use, there's no way to tell how and what the money is used for.

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  27. February's number could be skewed because of all the cold weather. They say it was one of the worst winters in the past 100 years. Anyhow, the Bureaus numbers are abysmal by any standard. The County did re-evaluate and it looks as though they are going to have to re-evaluate again. Fact is, little or nothing is being done to alleviate these chronic economic conditions.

    And so I have give KUDOs to Joe for magnifying this issue because no other media is doing it. I say give Mr. Culver a shot. I agree with Joe - Rick Pollitt has had more than ample time to turn this ship around. I'll be looking to make a switch the next time round and I encourage everyone to vote for Bob Culver.

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  28. These employment numbers are pitiful. What about all of the colleges, where are the jobs for all of these graduates? These indicators show that our local leadership has failed. It is time for a change.

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  29. Has anyone noticed that the DT doesn't even cover local events anymore. They don't report diddley squat. If it were not for Salisbury News all of this information would fall by the wayside. Thank you Joe and believe me, I am spreading the word.

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  30. I knew all of those factory closings that were posted a few days ago were going to manifest itself in someway, shape, or form. Let's face it, our economy is in a tailspin and getting worse.

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  31. The reasoning behind the EBT/ATM thing is so the people can be free to buy toilet paper and cleaning products-LOL! These aren't approved items when you use the card in a store-only food is.

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  32. Did anyone watch the segment on ch47 about the small local pharmacies that cant compete with CVS and Walgreens?This is happening everywhere with all types of small businesses.

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  33. You all don't get it.... the shore is not coming back, Maryland is no longer a business or family friendly state.if you think things are bad now just wait another year and see how bad it is. There is no magic trick to fix this.

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  34. People wake up.. It's not Pollitt's fault or big business... This is all Bush's fault.

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  35. I read today that Family dollar is closing stores nationwide. Bet Salisbury stores will be included.

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  36. Anonymous said...
    And another tax increase will be put on the backs of the people by Pollitt and Strausberg in July.

    Correct -- and Pollitt's kick off event to grease the skids for his Tax to the Max budget is at the Civic Center tonight a 6PM

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  37. I predict the taxes will be high and the foreclosures resulting from them hugh!

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  38. 11:32 - I am in a job where I interact with a lot of talented, young, local college kids. When I ask them if they are planning to stay around here after graduation,more then once, the answer I get is, "In Salisbury, Where Dreams Die? No Way!" That is pitiful. We have never had a positive community partnership with our colleges and it shows.

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  39. Is there something going on at the Knowland group too? Rumor has it layoffs...moving.

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  40. I do not believe it is going to be easy for Wicomico's economy to turn around. The State has over regulated and there will never be enough construction and/or incentives to help pull us out of this mess. And as far as any other industry - you can forget that to. Who in their right mind would locate in such a hostile environment. As Rick Perry said;

    In Texas We Pray For Rain, in Maryland They TAX IT!"

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  41. I knew sooner or latter the loss of jobs was going to show up. My sister will soon be laid off as JC Penny's is slated to close in two weeks. And my other relative got laid off from Sears. There are no decent jobs anymore. Nothing.

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  42. I heard Noland might be shutting down to. They are down to skeleton crew.

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  43. We have done it to ourselves. Inch by inch, foot by foot, until we imploded. I have seen this coming for a long time. You reap what you sow. One look at the County's Zoning Code says it all. If it isn't a government use - you can't do it.

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  44. To add fuel to the fire, the stock market in in the process of a correction. down 260 right now. www.cnbc.com

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  45. "Anonymous said...
    Did anyone watch the segment on ch47 about the small local pharmacies that cant compete with CVS and Walgreens?This is happening everywhere with all types of small businesses.

    April 10, 2014 at 12:10 PM"

    It's because they can't afford to invest in the new electronic health record systems required under obamacare. Has anyone noticed how the chains like CVS and even Walmart are going out of their way to "teach" people about how great obamacare is?

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