What Is Current Unemployment Rate?

The current unemployment rate is over 10% in the United States. Current unemployment benefits go for about 47 weeks, in some states. By the end of this month congress must decide if they can afford $30 billion to extend unemployment benefits into the coming year for over 3.1 million people. If they cannot this will put a lot of people in a  financially depressed situation for the new year.

CNN Money portrays the story of one Maryland woman’s situation.

After a 30-year career, managing housekeeping staff at a retirement community, Duckett was laid off last year. Despite looking for a job every day, she hasn’t been able to find work. Duckett says if her unemployment benefits run out, she and her 14-year-old grandson, who lives with her, won’t have enough money to eat.”It’s been a very difficult year,” Duckett said. “The check keeps a roof over our head. … I can’t even imagine what we’re going to do without that check.”

She is among 2.1 million Americans who will no longer be able to apply for unemployment benefits in the New Year. Another 1 million people who don’t have jobs will also exhaust their state benefits in early 2013 and lose their benefits, according to the National Employment Law Project, an advocacy group. Read More…

The current unemployment rate is a critical situation for the government and for the people of the U.S. On the one hand we have a devastating budget deficit and on the other we have millions of people without jobs in dire need of financial assistance.

Where do you stand on this issue?

How should the U.S. government deal with current unemployment rate?

How can the internet help some of these people get out of this financial predicament?