Dear Triad Business Journal; Your report on lower unemployment misleadingly didn't show why the unemployment rate fell

"The Triad’s unemployment rate dropped to 9.1 percent in March from 9.6 percent in February, according to data released Wednesday by the N.C. Department of Commerce.

The region’s unemployment rate was 9.5 percent in March 2012. Statewide unemployment was 9.2 percent in March, down from a revised rate of 9.4 percent in February.

...In contrast with the local region’s struggle to shrink its stubbornly high jobless rate, the U.S. unemployment rate edged downward to 7.6 percent in March, its lowest rate since December 2008, from 7.7 percent in February, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics."

Amy Dominello Braun
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The problem with this wonderfully sounding news is that there were fewer workers working in March than February.

http://www.ncesc1.com/pmi/rates/PressReleases/State/NR_Mar_2013_StRate_M.pdf

"the number of people employed decreased 10,954...the number of people unemployed fell 11,619."
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"the number of people not in the labor force which in March soared by a massive 663,000 to a record 90 million Americans who are no longer even looking for work. This was the biggest monthly increase in people dropping out of the labor force since January 2012... the labor force participation rate plunged from an already abysmal 63.5% to 63.3% - the lowest since 1979!
But at least it helped with the now painfully grotesque propaganda that the US unemployment rate is "improving."

Tyler
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As big print giveth, and fine print taketh, the lower employment rate headline was caused by workers leaving the workforce, rather than more jobs being created.

My point is sometimes those who are in charge of telling us what the facts are may not.

My guess is Amy didn't know about this, but someone at the "Business Journal" should have.

So when you see the headline tomorrow in the News and Record, as they may mislead again on why the unemployment rate is dropping saying it's good news when it actually isn't..., some may come to believe our local news industry is relatively financially illiterate.

I'm assume our local TV news sources will be even less accurate and more cheerleadery.

The only way to be sold a bridge is to think you can own it, based on what the seller tells you.