Letters: Jobs and reality

Re “Weak jobs report spreads gloom,” June 2

The May jobs report is very disappointing, but certain factors should be taken into consideration.

Even before the economic downturn, most companies, to maximize profits, were reducing their workforces and benefits to remain competitive. To meet these objectives, companies were utilizing process improvement initiatives to remove waste and non-value added parts of their operations.

Today’s economy has required more companies to implement these principles. Better technology and removing redundancies have resulted in employers eliminating many jobs, which are gone forever.

This requires vocational retraining for the 8.2% of Americans out of work but looking for a job, and it must be noted when assessing unemployment figures in relation to the economy as a whole.

Paul Shubunka

Santa Clarita

Mitt Romney blaming President Obama for the uptick in unemployment is like blaming the sun for global warming. It’s hardly the sun’s fault that humans have so filled the air with carbon dioxide that heat becomes trapped.

It’s hardly the president’s fault that big banks gambled with our savings, George W. Bushinvaded Iraq, the euro is in danger of failing and, in this election year, the Republicans refuse to cooperate in stimulating job creation.

Jack Cooper

Sherman Oaks

Obama has been in office more than 40 months. Based on the roughly 150,000 new jobs required per month just to stay even with population growth, there is no recovery yet.

But the president is now blaming the rest of the world for the downturn. His policy, if he had one, has failed.

At lease President Bush is off the hook.

Bob Driscoll

Woodland Hills

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