Unemployment in December, 2005

REGIONAL AND STATE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT: DECEMBER 2005

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in
December. Overall, 36 states and the District of Columbia registered over-the-month unemployment rate decreases, 10 states recorded increases, and 4 states had no change, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Over the year, jobless rates were down in 32 states and the District of Columbia, up in 17 states, and unchanged in 1 state. In December, the national unemployment rate, 4.9 percent, was little changed from November, but was down by 0.5 percentage point from a year earlier.

http://www.bls.gov

California experienced the largest employment gain (+24,300), followed by Florida (+16,100), Arizona(+14,800), and Texas (+13,400). Louisiana and Montana posted the largest over-the-month percentage increases in employment (+0.7 percent each), followed by Arizona and Utah (+0.6 percent each). The largest employment decreases occurred in Ohio(-10,700), Kansas(-3,700), Maryland(-3,300), Mississippi(-2,300), and Alabama (-1,800). The largest over-the-month percentage decreases in employment occurred in Kansas and Rhode Island (-0.3 percent each),followed by Mississippi and Ohio (-0.2 percent each).

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Federal Minimum Wage

General Information on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

Federal Minimum Wage:

$4.75 per hour beginning October 1, 1996
$5.15 per hour beginning September 1, 1997
Employees under 20 years of age may be paid $4.25 per hour during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment with an employer.

Certain full-time students, student learners, apprentices, and workers with disabilities may be paid less than the minimum wage under special certificates issued by the Department of Labor.

Tip Credit: Employers of "tipped employees" must pay a cash wage of at least $2.13 per hour if they claim a tip credit against their minimum wage obligation. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's cash wage of at least $2.13 per hour do not equal the minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Certain other conditions must also be met.

Overtime Pay: At least 1½ times an employee's regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek.

Child Labor: An employee must be at least 16 years old to work in most non-farm jobs and at least 18 to work in non-farm jobs declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. Youths 14 and 15 years old may work outside school hours in various non-manufacturing, non-mining, non-hazardous jobs under the following conditions:

No more than -

3 hours on a school day or 18 hours in a school week;
8 hours on a non-school day or 40 hours in a non-school week.
Also, work may not begin before 7 a.m. or end after 7 p.m., except from June 1 through Labor Day, when evening hours are extended to 9 p.m. Different rules apply in agricultural employment.

ENFORCEMENT: The Department of Labor may recover back wages, either administratively or through court action, for the employees that have been underpaid in violation of the law. Violations may result in civil or criminal action.

Fines of up to $11,000 per violation may be assessed against employers who violate the child labor provisions of the law and up to $1,100 per violation against employers who willfully or repeatedly violate the minimum wage or overtime pay provisions. This law prohibits discriminating against or discharging workers who file a complaint or participate in any proceedings under the Act.

Note:

Certain occupations and establishments are exempt from the minimum wage and/or overtime pay provisions.

Special provisions apply to workers in American Samoa.

Where state law requires a higher minimum wage, the higher standard applies.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, contact the nearest Wage and Hour Division office -- listed in most telephone directories under United States Government, Labor Department.

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The Federal Government