Unemployment—By the numbers

The newspaper headlines are getting somewhat repetitive nowadays, unless you"re lucky enough to live in a state where the governor is being impeached. Layoffs here and layoffs there&mdashcompanies are shedding jobs like a politician sheds campaign promises.



But an interesting thing caught my eye as I drilled down on the news story that covered the soaring unemployment rate in both Indiana (8.2 percent) and South Carolina (9.5 percent). Some states aren"t struggling at all with unemployment.


Look at North Dakota at 3.5 percent and South Dakota at 3.9 percent. These two sparsely populated states have suffered for years trying to get enough workers for the jobs they do have. In many ways that has prevented those states from contributing to the overall job loss occurring around the country.



In 2005 I visited with BTD Manufacturing Inc. in Detroit Lakes, Minn. Now we aren"t talking about Minnesota in this particular conversation, but Detroit Lakes is on the western side of the state, relatively close to Fargo, N.D. Back then BTD management was talking about the need to find skilled workers; take a look at the company"s job openings today.



The story isn"t unique to the Dakotas. Nebraska has an unemployment rate of 4.0 percent. Iowa finds itself at 4.6 percent.



What does it mean? Is the current immunity to high unemployment rates related to the states" link to its agricultural industries? Does it have to do with the strong educational systems in these states? Are their economies diverse enough that they are protected from the financial system meltdown?



I"m not about to embark on a major investigation, unless some big-pocketed donor out in cyberworld wants to underwrite some scholarly research. But I"m sure the states" agricultural roots, solid secondary school systems, and diverse commercial bases have put them in a position to weather the current downturn better than most.



It"s not feasible that workers can just pack up a moving van and look for employment opportunities in other states. Family connections, long-term friendships, and children"s educational commitments can make for strong anchors. At the very least, however, jobs in other states are options.



It"s not the worst thing in the world either. I moved up to Illinois in February 1992 and left Louisiana in the rear-view mirror. I"ve carved out a nice life and learned to live with cold temperatures and fried fish that"s not breaded in corn meal.



The Land of Lincoln turned out to be a place full of opportunities—if you stay on the right side of the law, that is.