Unemployment numbers down but not everyone agrees

ELKHART — National unemployment dropped from 10 percent in December to 9.7 percent in January. But some say those number don't show the whole picture. The parking lot at WorkOne in Elkhart is full as people stream in and out. Upon hearing the news of the drop, there are mixed feelings. "I don't think. I don't believe it. I've been looking, I have got an app in right now. It is not looking good. I know guys who have been off for a year and they still haven't got nothing," says Allen Welburn who has been receiving unemployment benefits since November. Still, the numbers tell a different story. The unemployment rate dropped in January to 9.7 percent. That is an improvement from 10 percent in December. Douglas Agbetsiafa, the Chair of Economics at Indiana University South Bend, says while the numbers are a reason to be hopeful, there is still work to be done. "We are not quite on the firm ground yet, but it is good news to tell," says Abetsiafa. Not everyone is convinced. Some believe the numbers are down because fewer people are getting unemployment benefits and not because they have gotten a job -- because their unemployment benefits have run out and they are not longer included when the government calculates the numbers. Agbetsiafa says there is some merit to that argument. "Discouraged workers, the group has grown from 840,000 to 1.1 million. that improves statistics in itself. However there are some glimmers of hope. Improvements in economy in terms of the labor market," says Abetsiafa. The manufacturing sector gained 11,000 jobs in January. The largest increase since April of 2006. And retailers added more than 42,000 jobs. Good news for our economy, but most, like Ben Moser have to see it to believe it. "I got a temp job for two months this summer but that is temporary. They say that there are more jobs but for the most part I haven't seen it," says Moser. The recession eliminated 8.4 million jobs. That is the most of any recession since World War Two.