Unemployment in Hillsdale County up, MI looks for relief

by Emily Hines

Job losses in Michigan have been the topic of discussion for many years now. Questions on how long this epidemic will continue raids every individual’s mind. With job losses affecting more than just a few people, many people are finding that relocating is the only way to seek relief. Elementary secretary Mrs. Clark agrees, saying “I think the job loss has affected us a lot at Pittsford. A lot of families have lost jobs so therefore they’ve had to move out of the area to find jobs.”

Michigan’s number of job losses so far is the worst in the nation. With eight years of enduring the increasing number of job loss, Michigan holds the longest streak of job loss since the Great Depression. With Michigan holding 10.6% of unemployment, Hillsdale County is even slightly worse, with 11% unemployment. With other states trying to endure job loss also, Michigan is the nation’s longest stretch of unemployment loss and with the biggest unemployment rate today. “The job loss situation affects us terribly because people are leaving. Michigan has the most ‘out’ migration of any state, and I think Hillsdale, I’m guessing, is one of the worst counties,” stated Mr. Lovell.

If losing your job isn’t bad enough, in the summer of 2008 gasoline prices went soaring, leaving many families unable to purchase the necessary gasoline to simply have transportation of their own. At the close of 2008, Michigan’s gas prices were looking more positive than they were but Michigan’s job situation was still looking down.

As President Barack Obama had promised, many people look in high hopes that he will be able to bring jobs back into Michigan. Statistics reports that a total of 489,900 jobs have been lost in the past eight years. In the beginning of January 2009, as a result of massive job loss, a seminar through South Central Works program was held in Hillsdale County to educate people on services and financial help offered through the state and federal government to those who are laid off or unemployed.

Other elected officials are trying to work on bringing jobs back into Michigan. Such a task may not seem so hard but to find the resources to be able to bring them back is the hard part. “I believe in pursuing alternative energy from a manufacturing base. I guess I would start right there because you have to know there is a demand for alternative energy so we don’t have to guess, ‘Is this a product that is going to sell or not?’” added Mr. Lovell.

There are many ways to act upon bringing back Michigan’s jobs, but they are much harder than a person can assume because of money and materials needed that the state does not have. Even though the decrease in jobs are affecting everyone everywhere the only thing we can do is wait for something to happen and give Michigan some relief.