Unemployment rates rose last month in 28 states

The country's labor market recovery was uneven last month with unemployment rates rising in 28 states and falling in eight, according to figures released Monday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Monday's data show that 11 states and the District of Columbia with jobless rates higher than the overall U.S. unemployment rate of 7.4%. California, which released its job report Friday, added 38,100 jobs in July, one of its best showings this year. Still, the state's unemployment rate rose 0.2 of a percentage point to 8.7%.

Nationwide, employers added 162,000 net positions last month, but the state job markets turned in mixed performances. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the number of payroll jobs grew in 32 states but declined in 17.  Read more >>

Food prices rise sharply - and there's more to come

For the first time since 2008, inflation is hitting consumers in the stomach.

Grocery prices grew by more than 1 1/2 times the overall rate of inflation this year, outpaced only by costs of transportation and medical care, according to numbers released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Economists predict that this is only the beginning. Fueled by the higher costs of wheat, sugar, corn, soybeans and energy, shoppers could see as much as a 4 percent increase at the supermarket checkout next year.

"I noticed just this month that my grocery bill for the same old stuff - cereal, eggs, milk, orange juice, peanut butter, bread - spiked $25," said Sue Perry, deputy editor of ShopSmart magazine, a nonprofit publication from Consumer Reports. "It was a bit of sticker shock." More...

Gallup: 18% unemployed or underemployed

bizjournals.com

More than 18 percent of U.S. workers say they are either unemployed or underemployed, according to a Gallup Organization survey.

The running survey of U.S. workers shows 81.5 percent of them have jobs, but the national unemployed/underemployed number has been between the high-teens and 20 percent throughout the year. Gallup surveys 19,800 American workers each month.

The U.S. unemployment rate stands at 9.5 percent, according to July numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Arizona’s unemployment rate is 9.6 percent, according to June figures from the Arizona Department of Commerce. Underemployment also is an issue in Arizona as many laid-off workers turn to part-time service and retail jobs while they look for full-time jobs.