Unemployment On The Rise

The U.S. unemployment rate recently rose to 9.2 percent, and the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis called the government into action to alleviate the situation.

Employment opportunities in the private sector have increased immensely over the past year and a quarter, as more than two million jobs were created. Despite this, problems in the public sector have hindered growth. In June, 57,000 jobs were added to the private sector, while nearly 40,000 were lost in local, state and federal governments.

"We need to go back to what was working. President Obama forcefully has advocated for common-sense investments in areas like infrastructure, transportation and manufacturing that will bolster our recovery and allow us to pursue long-term solutions to put Americans back to work," said Solis. "We must make investments in our roads, bridges, and most especially, in the education and training of our people."

It is important that consumers who currently do not have a job watch their financial activity carefully. Having unemployment is not enough to be able to act as if a typical paycheck is coming in. Debt relief options are available to many, and it may be a good idea to utilize such programs if a consumer was out of work for an extended period of time.