Show I 11 Job market Utah Jobless remains weak The Utah Department of Workforce Services will report --- Chicago Tribune track" White House officials tried to put a positive face on the numbers noting that the economy has added jobs for six straight months Since Bush's tax cuts took effect last summer however fewer than 300000 new jobs have been created "The economy is strong and growing stronger New jobs are being created" White House spokesman Scott McClellan said in Crawford Texas "But the bottom line is there are still people hurting in this economy There's more to do" Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said the unemployment rate is low by historical standards "As the president has said many times we're not going to rest until every American who wants a job can find one" she said Bush is banking on forecasts by many economists that job creation will pick up this year The economy accelerated in the second half of last year and forecasters expect growth to top 4 percent this year In the past that pace has generated jobs as companies ramped up production to meet demand "The economy should be producing 200000 to 300000 jobs per month" said Sung Won Sohn a chief econoMinneapolis-basemist at Wells Fargo bank "Obviously the relationship between economic growth and employment has broken down" In part new technologies mean fewer workers are needed Also entire departments such as accounting and customer call centers have been outsourced to specialty companies They do the work with fewer workers — and the jobs send sometimes overseas Consumer spending remains strong in part because of the tax d cuts passed last year But that effect is expected to fade once the income tax refund season is over Then consumers will need a new source of income growth Typically that's jobs "We really don't know how long we can keep this going" said Nigel Gault an economist at Global Insight a forecasting firm in Lexington Mass "What happens to the consumer in the second half of the year if we're still not creating jobs? There's a risk the consumer could fall away" Stocks plunged initially on the jobs report but then recovered The Dow Jones industrial average finished up 755 points at 1059555 The Nasdaq slipped 748 points to 204763 Interest rates fell sharply as the poor jobs report suggested that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to raise its key federal funds rate anytime soon The rate on the Treasury note which affects mortgage rates dropped to 384 percent from 404 percent on Thursday The biggest job gains in February came in temporary help which added 32000 jobs That suggests that companies aren't e workers willing to hire Government added payrolls 21000 jobs mainly at the state level Construction led the losers falling by 24000 jobs Harsh winter weather may have been partly to blame America's factories lost jobs for the 43rd straight month though the small decline of 3000 jobs signaled that the worst may be over Even the relatively low unemployment rate wasn't cause for celebration Many people have given up looking for work and they aren't included among the unemployed If they were the unemployment rate would reach 74 percent according to the Economic Policy Institute a liberal research group in Washington The labor force shrank by 392000 people last month Only 66 percent of the working-agpopulation remains in the labor force the lowest level since 1988 "When we think about 56 percent unemployment it does not adequately reflect how poor the job situation is" said Economic Policy Institute President Larry Mishel tech-heav- CHICAGO — Long-terjoblessness is the worst it's been in this country for more than 20 years According to a new study by the Economic Policy Institute a Washington DC think tank MI percent of all unemployed workers were out of work for six months or more in 2003 — the worst annual rate since 1983 And a growing number of those longterm job seekers were people with lots of experience and plenty of education raising more questions about the loss of highly paid work during the nation's persistent "jobless wins round in court Continued from Al money for the state and he believes allowed the fund to continue doing business in Idaho The fund argues it needs to sell its insurance in other states to diversify its business and keep Utah rates low Hanson declared there "is no ambiguity in the statutes on this subject" and granted Workers Compensation Fund's motion for summary judgment Workers Compensation which provides injury insurance for employees of about 30000 Utah companies sued the state in November hoping to that taxprove to the claim no have payers agency leadUtah's executive-brancers believed the state may have "founder's interest" because of its role in creating the agency and managing it for 70 years But WCF officials argued the Insurer belongs to policyholders and complained that the state's ownership claims were jeopardizing its business in Idaho where it writes insurance through a subsidiary called Advantage Friday's ruling "clearly answers government-ownershithe issue" but doesn't address Idaho's government-contro- l concerns said Workers Compensation Fund legal counsel Dennis Lloyd Lloyd hopes to clear the second hurdle under an arrangement with Idaho insurance regulators that was devised by Walker's staff Idaho Assistant Attorney General Thomas Donovan has :tentatively endorsed the deal ‘41iich would have Advantage Operating at "an arm's length" from the portion of the entity Under the agreement b g d "What this shows" said EN economist Sylvia Allegretto "is not that young uneducated people are doing better It's that older better educated people are joining them" unemployed among the long-terChronic joblessness has been particularly painful since December when Congress allowed the federal extension of state unemployment benefits to expire The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities a liberal think tank in Washington DC estimates that 760000 have lost their 30-ye- t e Advantage's board of directors would be elected by WCF's policyholders and be subject to Idaho regulations It also would prohibit the federally WCF from serving as a tax shelter for its subsidiary Utah Attorney Assistant General Thom Roberts said the state hasn't decided whether to appeal Hanson's ruling Gov Walker said through a spokeswoman on Friday "Our objective has always been to maintain low rates for Utah businesses That happens best with WCF operating under current state statute as a quasi-publientity and not as a privatized entity This ruling does not affect WCF's obligations to operate under that statute" The governor does not regret rejecting the settlement offer said spokeswoman Amanda Covington "This has never been about the money" - ' ''1i3 ' " °II' 61A-- i 1 1 0 : ' b ic- IDIT: II di 0 : la 4F - 10 r 4 - 0 Al' - 11111111111111 ' 6 -- - 4 " - 11 DDNI U it I '' 4 — f — — - - - — 70 sit - JOY BOSS! 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''t Champ and was recently voted "Best in the Flistory of the Game" by Billiard Digest 3:30 & 7:30pm Thursday 1:00 3:30 & 7:30pm Friday 12:30 3:30 & 7:30pm Sat 3 & 3& MARY GROVER "The Bed & Bath - ' 1114' (11154 Lady" is the o 4 Lift :711 otyttr4 'J JW4tffiW ot (t :4 1t11itJtJ home ii 1 ciø tteosf improve- ment - celthities today THE GROCERY GURU maoor- - 714 Ken is Just imagine Martha Stewart meets the Richard Simmons and you've got Mary Grover Mary provides advice on decorating styles that appeal to both women and men "Grocery - he'll iGuru" : 0 ! save money at the gra- dfrri" cery store The Guru ucts for you to take home 3:30 & 6:30pm 1:00 & 5:30pm Noon & 12:30 & r 1 2:30pm 3:30pm 1 SIMI STYLE 1 Mary Shurt Jeff is a fabulous Feng Shui designer She is the and your family 5:30 Thursday Friday 11:30 Saturday 2:00 Sunday C:!!4 & & & 2:30 5 & 8pm 2 5 8c 8pm 2 5 & 8pm Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday - will have coupons and prod- Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday I Noon AK F TRIP' INt Vth AWN( MI PA p FRI 5pm4pm NA T Illam-ftp- m SUN lOom—Ipm At The Ogden Union Station Ilktorie 25th Street & on Aenue Ogden Utah I 8:30pm 2:30pm 1:30pm 5:00pm I SPRING 1MEI- 1 & GARDEN FESTIVAL $too SAVEE 1 - I I TOWNE 4-- 7 EXPO Aduhs$500 Children 12 and under Free : IJUNIORS r S7 (712) THURSDA- Y- 2 PM —MOON ISATUADAY-- 11 AM FRIDAY PM PM 10 PM 10 I I 00 11AM6PM INis rod with Yid on Ads I En sof achy Men Admossor Onty ME ME MO MO OM EV1100 tif CP tJ tlmsuuwum halt Hots - ''' - - :4 At - 7 r 1 ' - ' '''' - ' --- t - I CENTER SI HOUR: Training MI AMMON ------ IADULTS I I Adult a dt mission $700 with his coupon MARCH OTHER FEATURES Mel Bartholomew author of Square Foot Gardening I Koi Display Gonda lee Ceramics Quilt Guild Display I luddart floral Flower Auction: Fri & Sat 6pm Gardening Societies Arrow Kennels Dog AdmiNsion I moils 1 J 3pm 1111111EMII C LH & SAT SOUTH 26 3pm 6pm 6pm 1i0":' expert on helping your home move in harmony with you March 5 6 7 knowa for "Joy in the ' Centers will provide for 1 rtal Joy Bossi - Concept FENG Nicdel 2004 ( ‘11 c kstewarVasltribcom -I ( full-tim- h d two-third- recovery" 406001 Workers Fund explanation More important is that companies are using new technology to boost prowork in ductivity eliminating white-colla- r greater numbers Allegretto said Its also true that the Jobs being created in today's economy aren't as desirable as in the past Temporary agencies for instance have done a lot of the hiring over the past year But those jobs aren't necessarily a good fit for someone used to a good salary and benefits Another BPI study of Job quality shows that in 48 of 50 states Jobs in higher-payinIndustries are shrinking while jobs in lower-payinindustries are growing From the end of 2001 to the end of 2003 the industries losing Jobs paid wages of 51692 on average while the industries gaining Jobs paid an average wage of $1465 In February the Pew Hispanic Center released another surprising finding According to the Labor Department's Current Population Survey Latinos grabbed 64 percent of the new jobs created during 2003 One reason Is that they didn't pay as well The Pew report showed that Latinos — many of them new immigrants — flocked to construction sites as low interest rates pumped up home building That helped lower the unemployment rate among Latinos but also put downward pressure on their wages benefits nationally since the federal program ended In Illinois alone 17679 residents exhausted their 26 weeks of regular state benefits in January and didn't qualify for another 13 weeks of aid A lack of education remains the quickest way to Join the ranks of the unemployed People with a high school degree or less make s of the nation's jobless up almost and more than half of the long-terunemployed But since the economy began to sour in 2000 the number of older college-educatepeople among the long-terunemployed has exploded The EP1 study shows that the number of people with a college degree who have been out of work for at least six months grew 299 percent to 369115 people by the end of 2003 The number of people 45 and older in the same situation grew 2176 percent to 685387 people The study also shows that college graduates now make up a disproportionate share of the long-terunemployed While grads comprised 153 percent of the unemployed they represented 191 percent of the long-terunemployed Why this is happening remains a question economists said Outsourcing of whitecollarjobs to places like India is probably one BY MICHAEL ONEAL AND T SHAWN TAYLOR Continued from Al recession George Bush has promised the American people that new jobs are on the way" said Massachusetts Sen John Kerry who all but locked up the Democratic nomination this week "But he's overpromised and underdelivered" Kerry in a prepared statement offered voters an alternative: They can "give George Bush a new job bring change to America and get our economy back on Saturday Maruh ti 2t X 4 Older college grads join jobless statistics February unemployment data for the state on March 16 report shows UTAIINATION Salt 12ke Tribune - 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