NPR posted an associated press article this week that stated the unemployment rates dropped in April for more than ninety percent of the country’s 372 largest metropolitan areas as hiring picked up around the nation. The jobless rate fell in 346 areas according to the Labor Department. The rate increased in only twelve regions and remained level in fourteen.

This was much better than March, when unemployment dropped in only 257 areas and increased in eighty-nine. The improvement was primarily seen in the Midwestern regions where there are significant manufacturing operations. Manufacturers, who added 44,000 jobs throughout the nation in April, are doing so as a result of increased overseas sales and efforts by retailers and other U.S. companies to restock their warehouses.

That is not to say that unemployment is no longer a problem. It is still widespread: fourteen metropolitan areas reported unemployment rates of fifteen percent or above in April. But the unemployment trend is going in the right direction since it decreased from the twenty-eight areas reported in March. The country’s economy produced a net gain of 290,000 jobs in April. But that growth did not manage to hold down the jobless rate, which increased to 9.9 percent.

The economic situation seems to be improving, but at a slow rate. So if you are unemployed and have been waiting to file bankruptcy in hopes of a change in your employment situation it may be a long time in coming. Please do not wait until it is too late to file. The damage done can be greater than necessary.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. There will be no strings attached to your communication with me. I am here to help. Kevin D. Heupel, Colorado Bankruptcy lawyer, 303-955-7570, COBankruptcyHelpEmail, free-consultation form.