White House officials anticipate peak in unemployment
(KION) More than 30 million people have applied for unemployment benefits and people say they want more businesses to reopen.
White House officials are saying unemployment rates could possibly be at their lowest point during the months of May and June.
“To get unemployment rates like the ones that we’re about to see, which I think will climb up towards 20 percent by next month, you have to really go back to the great depression just to see that. I think you could expect to see jobs probably trough in May or June," says Kevin Hassett, White House Economic Adviser.
In April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported unemployment rates at 14.7% and the loss of 20.5 million jobs.
The latest information for local counties from the Employment Development Department showed Monterey County had one of the higher unemployment rates in the state, standing at 11.8%.
The report showed Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties were at 7.9%
Of the more than one million people who are currently unemployed in California, over 26,000 of them were from Monterey County, according to reports from the Employment Development Department.
People recently protested in Monterey to voice concerns of the current unemployment rates and called for the Governor to allow the reopening of more businesses.
A few local businesses like clothing stores, book stores and sporting goods stores were allowed to reopen over the weekend throughout Monterey County.
Hassett says unemployment numbers for the month of May will depend on how the economy goes as some states could begin to reopen.
"We understand why the economy is slowing down and we expect that we can reverse it. The congressional budget office, they currently forecast the second half of the year will be one of recovery. God willing, that's what's going to happen and I think that's the view that's pretty much shared by the white house," says Hassett.
People in the local communities say they are just waiting to see when their counties will be in a better place.
