The US Department of Labor is reporting that competition for jobs, while improving, remains intense. At the end of September, there were five people looking for work for every job opening, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover (JOLT) Survey released by the U.S. Department of Labor. This number has been gradually decreasing since the end of the recession. Competition for jobs has eased slightly since the end of last year, when there were more than six unemployed people for every job opening. When the recession ended there were 5.8 people searching for jobs for every job opening. However, when the recession began in 2007, there were only 1.8 job-seekers for every job opening.

The Economic Policy Institute, commenting on the JOLT survey, reports that:

The total number of job openings in September was 2.9 million, while the total number of unemployed workers was 14.8 million … This means that the ratio of unemployed workers to job openings was 5.0-to-1 in September, an increase from the revised August ratio of 4.8-to-1. The job-seekers ratio is displaying a similar trend to other labor market data – substantial improvements from late 2009 to the spring of 2010, and then stalling out what are still crisis levels. September’s value, at 5-to-1, is over three times as high as the first half of 2007, when the ratio averaged 1.5-to-1.

It is important to note that the job-seekers ratio does not measure the number of applicants for each job. There may be throngs of applicants for every job posting, since job seekers apply for multiple jobs. Instead, the 5-to-1 ratio means that for every five unemployed workers, there is only one job available — or for every four out of five unemployed workers, there simply are no jobs. Furthermore, when calculating the ratio of job seekers to job openings, if we were to include not just the 14.8 million unemployed workers, but also the 9.5 million “involuntarily part-time” workers (part-time workers who want and are available for a full-time job, and are therefore likely job searching), the ratio would be 8.3-to-1.

In the current environment it is essentially important that we shore up the support for those ready, willing, and able to work. This is the exact support that the workers in the United States need. If Congress fails to continue the extensions in the unemployment programs, 2 million people will be left with no income in December alone, just in time for Christmas. Over the following four months there will be up to 6 million people without job opportunities and without income. They will not be paying rent, taxes, or shopping in local businesses. They will become a drain on already overtaxed state welfare systems, and more people will loose jobs because of the ripple effect this loss of income will have — up to 700,000 more people losing their jobs!

Contact Congress today and urge continuation and further extension of benefits for the very people who want a job, not a hand-out.