Reuters: Regulatory News: Jobless rates drop in all US states except New York

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Jobless rates drop in all US states except New York Apr 20th 2012, 17:18 Fri Apr 20, 2012 1:18pm EDT By Lisa Lambert April 20 (Reuters) - Unemployment rates dropped in all U.S. states except New York in March from a year earlier, according to Labor Department data released on Friday, marking an improvement in the jobs market that could help President Barack Obama's re-election chances. Nationally, strong labor-market gains through the winter diminished in the spring, with weekly data on jobless claims increasing. As the recovery from the 2007-2009 recession inches along, many people have given up seeking employment. U.S. elections in November are widely considered a referendum on Obama's job creation efforts. But some states, including those crucial to November's presidential election, have seen unemployment fall to levels not seen in several years. The 8.8 percent rate in Illinois is its lowest since 2009, for example. "For the seventh straight month, unemployment numbers in Illinois have continued to fall," said Governor Pat Quinn. "Today's number is a testament to our solid efforts to create good jobs in Illinois." New York's rate rose to 8.5 percent from 8 percent a year earlier. It was also 8.5 percent in February. Payrolls in New York, though, also gained the most jobs over the month, 19,100. Altogether, unemployment rates decreased in 30 states from February, rose in eight states, and remained the same in 12 states and the District of Columbia. Federal data released on Thursday indicated the disappointing job growth could persist into April. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, was upbeat about his state's employment situation, even though its jobless rate rose in March to 6.6 percent from 6.5 percent in February. "As more Marylanders find work and seek employment, our unemployment rate increased slightly to 6.6 percent, while remaining 24 percent below the national average, and 0.5 percentage points lower than the same time last year," he said in a statement. Political rhetoric about jobs is likely to become more pointed as Obama and likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney step up their fight to win November's election. Coming into office at the height of the financial crisis, Obama quickly bailed out banks and automobile companies and enacted a package of spending and tax measures intended to create thousands of jobs. In about 10 battleground states, which represent 130 electoral votes, the presidential election will likely be close. Many of these states have struggled with high unemployment, though some, like Michigan, have seen sharp turnarounds. A candidate must collect 270 electoral votes to win. Four years ago, Michigan was a key story throughout the 2008 primaries and general election, when it had the highest jobless rate in the nation due to financial struggles at the three leading U.S. automobile companies. Ohio, another swing state, lost the most jobs in March, 9,500, after gaining the most, more than 25,000, in February. Last month its unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, the lowest since August 2008. In the first three months of this year Michigan's unemployed fell by 37,000, Rick Waclawek, the state's director of labor market information, said in a statement. Nevada, another swing state, still has the highest unemployment rate in the country, 12 percent in March. Still, that is lower than the 13.6 percent at this time last year. Another decisive swing state, Pennsylvania, saw its unemployment rate fell to 7.5 percent from 7.9 percent a year before. Pennsylvania's jobless rate has been below the national unemployment rate, which stood at 8.2 percent in March, for 47 straight months, according to its labor department. Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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