Historic Jobless Rates Hit Islanders Hardest

Louisa Hufstader Monday, June 8 2020 - 1:52pm

Numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics show double-digit unemployment across the state in April, and Dukes County is one of the hardest hit.

The bitter end of winter has always been a difficult time for seasonal workers on the Islands and Cape Cod, who must stretch their summer pay across long months of joblessness. Unemployment figures, however, traditionally drop in April as businesses begin their annual hiring surge.

Not this year.

The latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics show double-digit unemployment across the state in April, and Dukes County is one of the hardest hit with a rate of 22.6 per cent. Only Nantucket County is higher, with 28.2 per cent.

Barnstable County saw 21.6 per cent unemployment in April and Bristol County 20.3 per cent, with the state’s other 10 counties ranging from 12.3 per cent in Hampshire to 18.1 in Plymouth.

The contrast with 2019 is striking. Last April, the government reported Dukes County unemployment at 5 per cent, Nantucket at 4.5 per cent and Barnstable 4.1 per cent, with other counties ranging from 2.2 per cent in Middlesex to 3.8 in rural Hampden.

This year’s April numbers are historic even when compared to previous economic downturns. Not since the early 2010s has the Dukes County rate climbed into double digits, reaching 10.9 per cent in 2010, 10.5 per cent in 2011 and 10.4 per cent in 2013 as it slowly clawed back gains.

Dukes County also saw more than 10 per cent unemployment in April 1992. The lowest April rate reported for the county by the labor statistics site, which tracks unemployment back to 1990, was 3.5 per cent in 2000 and 2001.

Comments

Honestly , how could this be

gina Menemsha/ NYC

Honestly , how could this be any surprise?? The State & most of the US economy is shut done since Mid March..This MASS region is particularly vulnerable to seasonal activity read Tourism.. Probably less then previous yrs but still a good chunk of tax revenue for both State & Local Governments..

The only positive I see from this Island wide is it might pressure the Commercial rents downward into a realistic level. & those owners that bought on the high side will have to become more realistic.. ..

You reap what you sow,

Mark Edgartown

You reap what you sow, consistently negative diatribes towards the life blood of the island coupled with anti tourism measures like the short term rental tax will undoubtedly have a negative impact on our economy.

Terrible for those who really

Charlie Callahan So Boston/Edgartown

Terrible for those who really work for a living.I gave 1/2 my stimulus money anonymously to the food bank,there are plenty more here who can afford to do that. There are kids going hungry.

We devoted all our stimulus

Mr. B Chilmark

We devoted all our stimulus money (just a tiny bit left, now) to small island businesses.

It's important to keep the

John Aldeborgh Edgartown, MA

It's important to keep the unemployment numbers in perspective. This is not a typical economic cycle, this is a record breaking economy shattered by a global pandemic, which precipitated government mandated industry shutdowns with the resulting massive unemployment in the impacted segments. If you work in other segments, such as biomedical, electronics, and logistics, as examples, things have never been busier. Anything connected to the leisure industry has been utterly decimated and Martha's Vineyard is a poster child for the leisure industry.

One observation I have made over the past few weeks is many people are now fed up with being told to say at home, the pick-up in traffic is very apparent and the mood of many people I talk with is they no longer care, they want their lives back, despite the risks.

But even now the Trustees

David WTis

But even now the Trustees properties opening will require beach goers to wear masks. Great press and not exactly an incentive to bring people here.

One thing to keep in mind

Nicole Brisson Edgartown

One thing to keep in mind regarding the unemployment numbers: pandemic unemployment assistance makes it possible for the self-employed among is to receive unemployment benefits. There is a high number of people who run their own businesses on the Cape and Islands and I would bet that the much higher reported rates can be attributed to this fact.

Funny thing --- seasonal

Jim Edgartown

Funny thing --- seasonal visitors were listening and decided sure why not do something else ? Going to get a lot worse so gear up.