Global Unemployed To Surge Past 200 Million in 2013

[Henry Rogue]

Many didn't even have phones- and if you did, you probably shared the line with others. Can't find numbers for 1933 but in 1920 only one third of homes had one. http://www.maineahead.com/back-then-3/

We had party lines well into the Seventies as I recall.

[Origanalist]

Many didn't even have phones- and if you did, you probably shared the line with others. Can't find numbers for 1933 but in 1920 only one third of homes had one. http://www.maineahead.com/back-then-3/

I never used party lines, but I remember rotary dial phones and prefix's that started with letters. Such as ma2 1784.

And long distance calls were something only done under duress.

[oyarde]

A few numbers to compare. In 1933 (the worst year of the Great Depression in terms of unemployment), the total population was 95.95 million and the workforce was measured at 51.84 million (a 54 percent particiaption rate vs 63.6% today so workforce participation was lower http://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_...icipation_rate and the total considered unemployed was 12.83 million or 24.75% of the workforce.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1528.html

That converts to 13.4% of the total population unemployed.

Compare to today's total of 12.2 milllion total unemployed people today http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm (which is about the same total unemployed in 1933) out of a much bigger population of 311 million or 3.9% of the total population.

Consider also that in 1933 there was likely only one person in a family who would have worked. Them losing their job had a much bigger impact on the family than today where there are often multiple wage earners so one losing their job still hurts- but not as much. Then add in all the unemployment assistance available today vs none then and it is much easier to survive without a job than it was in 1933.

Things were much worse in 1933.

I think the people are in much worse position now than then. Most of the country was rural then and people had the abilities and skills to feed themselves.Peoples costs were lower .No auto ins , no health ins , no phone bill.Most homes could be heated without electric if needed.

[Zippyjuan]

Ask your grandparents if it was better then. Poor people today would be considered pretty well off compared to 1933. Cars, TVs, phones, bigger houses.

By 1933, US industrial production had fallen by 46% from its pre- depression levels. The dustbowl had wiped out crops. You didn't get unemployment insurance payments. Instead there were soup kitchens and bread lines.

[Origanalist]

I think the people are in much worse position now than then. Most of the country was rural then and people had the abilities and skills to feed themselves.Peoples costs were lower .No auto ins , no health ins , no phone bill.Most homes could be heated without electric if needed.

C'mon, you're just baiting the thread, right?

[oyarde]

I think people should do what they can for themselves to prepare for no boom.

[Origanalist]

I think people should do what they can for themselves to prepare for no boom.

No argument there, we could be in for some very tough times.

[Zippyjuan]

I would not call what we are currently experiencing a boom but the bust has ended.

[Origanalist]

I would not call what we are currently experiencing a boom but the bust has ended.

That remains to be seen, things have picked up but for how long?

[oyarde]

The govt is in charge of taking everyones cash now for soup and bread for the rest.Not enough though , they blow even more than that.That is a system doomed to fail.