Little signs that things are starting to improve

[nadinbrzezinski]

going to costco to get stuff I found a few things...

1.- The unemployment rate is over 10% in my county, which is much higher than the 6 and change of a year ago... (DUH) but it actually WENT DOWN this week... yes JOBS WERE ACTUALLY CREATED, as in 900 jobs of POSITIVE GROWTH. That is the local PBS station.

2.- Again for the state of California... yes it is high, over 12% but again, we seem to have hit dirt... (hope to whoever this trend continues... a few jobs here a few jobs there and you get things moving in the right direction)

Oh and costco... the parking lot was full and the place was CROWDED. It's been a while I had to play a game of shopping cart dodge ball in that place.

Mind you we all noticed when things started to get bad... perhaps those are easier to notice, but these days I am also looking for signs of life... and so far I am starting to see signs that things are slowly getting out of the bottom.

Of course take this with a grain of salt... as the recovery will be spotty at best, especially in the beginning.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I'm seeing some small signs too, in my neighborhood...

Two different stores that recently went out of business (one actually more than a year ago) are coming into new ownership.

One was a furniture store that is again furniture. The other was a furniture store too; it's becoming a restaurant or a bar. I can't tell yet. But there's a sign for alcoholic beverage application in the window.

I was very pleasantly surprised to see these places coming back.

Our Costco is also busy with a full parking lot most days.

:hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Good, it is those little things

I think we are coming out... slowly, but we are.

[Lithos]

2. Yes, I have been seeing it as well

Nothing great, but things are definitely a bit more active than they were before.

L-

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Good, it will be spotty at best

and hardly great... but as it does this it will start to get energy... as it were.

[Lithos]

5. Even Clinton's recovery started out weakly

And this one was deeper, so it will be a bit. However, my wife who is looking is starting to get more nibbles.

L-

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Good luck to your wife

[Lithos]

9. Thanks!

It has been rough for her.

L-

[jannyk]

7. But...but...I just finished reading this...

...in the LA Times

"California job losses continue to climb"

>> Job losses for September are higher than expected and almost six times greater than in August, state officials say. L.A. County joblessness soars to 12.7%

California posted higher-than-expected job losses in September, a sign that the state's employment woes continue even amid indications of a broader economic recovery.

Employers cut 39,300 workers from their payrolls last month, according to figures released this morning by the state Employment Development Department. That's nearly six times the number of jobs the state now says were lost in August, led by cuts in construction and government.<<

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-caljobs17-2009oct17,0,3782619.story?track=rss

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. I am just telling you that NPR KPBS San Diego Station

reported that San Diego had 900 jobs created and that this is the first time it is positive growth.

All recoveries start this way... spotty at best.

[SoCalDem]

11. The devil is in the details, though

900 jobs because a new mall opened somewhere and they hired a bunch of "openers", who will be let go the day after Xmas..not so good
900 jobs created with temporary stimulus money ..dicey
900 jobs @ <$10 hr replacing 2000 $15 hr jobs with benefits that were part of a layoff 2 months ago.. not so hot.

the term "jobs" is a very loaded word. It means many things to many people..

to a kid getting his first McDonald's job, it's Nirvana..even if it's minimum wage, but that smae job, to a 50 yr old guy whose been out of work for months..well..it's something else entirely

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. They sounded more permanent and technical in nature

as in medical field...

But hey whatever, I guess I should be rending my clothes and hoping for the next depression.

Not you, but some folks do hope that we should be in the midst of a depression and that is for ideological reasons.

I know the process... and I know that this is GOOD NEWS.

Will this means the economy is out of the ditch?

No

Does this means the economy is starting to recover? YES.

Will this be slow? Yes, especially in the beginning.

[SoCalDem]

18. I sure hope so.. My son has been unemployed since feb

He is in a specialty field, so Washington state is looking out for him, but eventually his unemployment pay will run out, and I sure hope he's called back before then :scared:..he's a crane operator at a steel fabrication place near Seattle.. they used to run 3 eights a day, and now they're down to ONE..He was one of 3 crane operators, and since he's the newest one, he and the other shift's guy both got laid off.. Their orders dropped by 65%..all within 3 months' time. (they do specialty work for military & airlines mostly)

He was even thinking of moving back here, and we told him that there's nothing much happening here either..

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. Steel production has gone up from

the 40% of capacity neighborhood to the mid sixties...

It is just maddening slow.

Especially in the beginning, and it sputters and coughs in the beginning.

[Roon]

8. Milk is getting cheaper eom

[SoCalDem]

12. I noticed that too.. under $3 a gallon now although I obnly buy it by the qt now.n/t

[KharmaTrain]

13. A Trickle Down Recovery

I'm not sure we've hit bottom in the job market yet...the next two months will tell. I'm still seeing job cutbacks, but in a different direction. Some companies are doing unpaid days...defering pay until next year or cutting hours and/or salaries that won't show up on the jobs report...in some cases it may show a gain as a company may hire on a couple more part timers to fill the role of a former full timer.

There has been a recovery with those invested in the market and the banks and others who make their money off it. These people haven't fully recovered from the big losses they took a year ago, but have come back nicely and IMHO is fueling a lot of the spending that's going on. I had a contractor working on my house who said a year ago a majority of his work was new construction that suddenly dried up...but now he's doing a lot of renovations and business once again is moving.

The big boat anchor still remains tight credit...many small businesses can't borrow to grow and I believe this is the true catalyst for a full recovery. It was small business that led the way in the boom of the mid 90s when many incomes rose. Hopefully there will be actions soon on government loans for small business and putting pressure on banks to lower lending rates that would spur a lot of job growth in a short period of time.

[MadHound]

14. The coasts always recover first,

Out here in the Midwest, we're still in hell and probably will be for another few years. Glad to see that you've got a few positive signs, I'm still looking.

[MrModerate]

15. Green shoots elsewhere as well. A few months ago, I was pretty sure I was going to be sent home...

From my job in Australia. This week I had to (was approved to) hire two new people in my group to handle the increased workload.

[DailyGrind51]

16. In Chicago, which has the reputation of high costs of doing business:

I can buy: gasoline for under $3/gallon, milk for under $2/gallon, eggs for under $1/dozen, red delicious apples for 3#/$1, Wisconsin Russet potatoes for 10#/$1.49, Belgian 5.0 beer for 79 cents/bottle. This, to me, is a pay increase.

:thumbsup: