The economy of any country, including the American one, is influenced by many factors. Today we will pay special attention to such an issue as the employment of the population, and also find out if there is unemployment in the United States, and if so, what are the reasons for this phenomenon.
The standard of living in America
It is generally accepted that the United States is practically heaven on earth, where a lot of money is earned, which is subsequently spent on a beautiful life. However, this is not quite true.
The average American wage is $ 3,700. As a rule, hourly wages are taken as a basis, and the total income depends on the cost of an hour and the number of hours worked. The quoted cost of a work hour mostly ranges from $ 7.5 to $ 10 and is largely determined by the state of employment.
The final figure is impressive, but it must be said that the distribution of income in the United States is uneven. According to official figures, 40.6 million people are below the poverty line in the United States, which is 12.7% of the country's population.
American spending is also quite high. In addition to spending on food and other daily needs, a US citizen must take care of his health and education himself, since education and medicine in the United States are paid. For comparison: in Russia, both can be obtained for free.
In America, health insurance is very developed, that is, the services of clinics can be paid for by insurance, but first you have to pay a tidy sum for the policy.
In addition, the cost of housing in America is no lower than in other countries. True, mortgage rates are much more attractive, which makes such a loan affordable and relatively profitable.
Overall unemployment rate in America
Analytical data on employment are provided by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This organization collects information, analyzes it, calculates indicators, and then publishes research results. In particular, the Bureau studies the unemployment rate by state, industry and even nationality of citizens, and also examines how unemployment in the United States has changed over the years.
According to the Bureau, the unemployment rate rose from 4.6% to 9.6% between 2007 and 2021 (this was due to the massive financial crisis). Since 2021, the value of the indicator has decreased and in 2021 it was established at the level of 3.9%. As of February and March 2021, the country's overall unemployment rate is 3.8%.
Given the positive dynamics, we can conclude that the fight against unemployment in the United States is proceeding very successfully and the number of unemployed is slowly but surely declining.
Unemployment rate by state
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates not only the overall unemployment rate for the country, but also for each state separately. Data as of February 2021 are presented in the table:
| State | Unemployment rate,% |
|---|---|
| Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, North Dakota | 2.4 |
| Hawaii | 2.7 |
| Nebraska | 2.8 |
| Idaho, Virginia, Wisconsin, South Dakota | 2.9 |
| Massachusetts, Utah | 3 |
| Minnesota | 3.1 |
| Missouri, Tennessee, South Carolina | 3.2 |
| Oklahoma | 3.3 |
| Delaware, Kansas, Maine | 3.4 |
| Indiana, Florida | 3.5 |
| Alabama, Colorado, Maryland, | 3.7 |
| Arkansas, Connecticut, Montana, Texas | 3.8 |
| Wyoming, Georgia, New York, Rhode Island, North Carolina | 3.9 |
| Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania | 4 |
| Kentucky | 4.1 |
| California | 4.2 |
| Illinois, nevada | 4.3 |
| Oregon | 4.4 |
| Washington | 4.5 |
| Ohio | 4.6 |
| Mississippi | 4.8 |
| Louisiana | 4.9 |
| Arizona, new mexico | 5.1 |
| West Virginia | 5.2 |
| Columbia region | 5.5 |
| Alaska | 6.5 |
As you can see from the table, unemployment in the United States in 2021 is an uneven phenomenon. The minimum value of the unemployment rate - 2.4% - is observed in the states of Iowa, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Vermont, but the leadership goes to Alaska: it is in this state that the unemployment rate is highest (6.5%).
American unemployment benefits
Those who have lost their earnings are eligible for financial assistance from the state, so it is very important for them what unemployment benefit is in America, how it is calculated and for what period it is provided.
It must be said that unemployment benefits are a solid item of budget expenditures. For example, in February 2021, the total amount of payments in the country amounted to $ 2.69 billion, and for the year (February 2021 - February 2021), $ 29.8 billion was spent on unemployment benefits.
However, to understand how much an unemployed person receives, mathematics alone will not be enough: dividing the total amount of payments by the number of unemployed, we will receive only the average amount of the benefit. In reality, there is no single standard, the amount of the benefit depends on several factors: gender, average earnings and the state in which the citizen lives.
The amount of the benefit is calculated as 46% (for men) or 49% (for women) of the average earnings. In this case, the maximum payment amount cannot exceed 2,700 US dollars.
The deadline for receiving benefits is limited to six months, but it is possible to extend it by 7 or 13 weeks, depending on the situation and place of residence.
Unemployment in Russia and the USA: is there a difference
The payment period in both Russia and the United States is 6 months. During the first three months after dismissal, an unemployed Russian will receive 75% of the average earnings, and in the next three months - 60%.
At the same time, the minimum amount of the benefit in Russia for 2021 is 1,500 rubles, and the maximum is 8,000 rubles. The exception is people of pre-retirement age, they can count on the maximum payment of 11,280 rubles.
The overall unemployment rate (in percent) in the countries is not very different: as of February 2021, it is 4.9% in Russia against 3.8% in the United States.
What causes unemployment in America
Unemployment, like many other economic phenomena, does not arise by itself. The number of unemployed in the United States varies depending on many factors. The unemployment rate is influenced by:
- Migration policy. Migrants are an inexpensive labor force, and from an employer's point of view, it is a great opportunity to save on employee salaries. However, with this approach, there is a risk of disappointment in the quality of labor.
- Psychological aspect. It boils down to the fact that, in fact, people have the opportunity, albeit temporarily, but regularly to receive money for idleness. Over time, this can lead to the fact that a person simply does not want to look for a job.
- Technological progress also affects the rate of unemployment in the United States. Advances in technology have led to the automation of many functions and operations. Add to this the craze for robotics, and now it has become possible to replace employees with machines that do not need food, or rest, or a salary (agree, the last point is especially pleasant for the employer).
Conclusion
The overall unemployment rate in the United States is 3.8%, the minimum value of the indicator for the states is 2.4%, and the maximum is 6.5%. Within six months from the date of dismissal, unemployed citizens receive benefits from the state. The amount of this benefit varies from state to state.
