The Washington, D.C., Department of Employment Services announced June 19 that the District’s official rate of unemployment reached 10.7 percent in June. For several months, the official rate of unemployment hovered near 9.9 percent, a number manipulated to maintain appearances.
Washington, D.C., is one of the few U.S. cities to experience job growth, due to increased federal spending. This growth, however, has not benefited those in oppressed communities, which make up the largest numbers of D.C. residents. The number of layoffs in these communities is far greater than the number of jobs created.
Nationally, continued claims for unemployment benefits surpass 6.7 million weekly despite increased benefit expirations, a sign that the number of layoffs and position eliminations continue. The official national figure is currently 9.4 percent.
All official unemployment numbers are grossly undercounted thanks to shifting regulations that only count certain jobless workers still seeking employment. Using the same criteria to measure unemployment used during the Great Depression, the national and D.C. jobless rates would be near 20 percent, or 1 in 5 workers being unemployed.
