Brooklyn has the second highest rate of unemployment in New York City, behind the Bronx, according to a new report in the Brooklyn Ink. As part of a series that hopes to humanize the unemployment problem in Brooklyn, the news site features personal stories about people who have lost their jobs.
Kings County’s unemployment rate is still close to 10 percent, double what it was back in 2007 when the recession began. The article reports that there are now 107,000 Brooklyn residents out of a job, according to the New York State Labor Department's figures.
Henry Butler, the chairman of Community Board 3, which serves Bed-Stuy, , told the Brooklyn Ink that the mood in the community is one of “fear” and “anxiety.”
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce says that Brooklyn created 50,000 jobs during the past decade, at an increase of 11.3 percent. These are mostly home health care, restaurant and school jobs. Still, the employment rate has not bounced back to pre-recession levels, even with new job gains.
For those who are out of a job and looking to get back on their feet again, has been a problem in the City, with legislation pending to fix the problem.
