NYS Department of Labor claim - what effect did the increased deficit spending during world war ii most likely have on unemployment rates?
I'm writing a research paper for my economics class about wartime employment patterns and I need to understand how government spending affected unemployment during WWII. My professor mentioned that deficit spending had a major impact on joblessness but I'm confused about the connection. I'm currently on unemployment myself (filed my weekly claim yesterday) and it got me thinking about how government policies affect employment levels. Does anyone know what the relationship was between increased government spending during the war and unemployment rates? I've been searching online but most sources are too academic. Any help would be appreciated!
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Mia Rodriguez
The increased deficit spending during WWII dramatically reduced unemployment rates. When the government ramped up military production and hired millions for the war effort, unemployment dropped from around 14% in 1940 to less than 2% by 1943. This massive government spending created jobs both directly (military, defense contractors) and indirectly (supporting industries). It's a classic example of fiscal stimulus - government spending can reduce unemployment when there's economic slack.
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Mason Davis
•Thank you! That makes perfect sense. So basically the government became a huge employer and that pulled people off unemployment rolls?
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Jacob Lewis
yeah exactly what the person above said. my grandfather always talked about how easy it was to find work during the war years after struggling through the depression. everyone was working either in factories making planes and tanks or in the military itself. unemployment basically disappeared because the government was spending so much money on the war effort
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Amelia Martinez
•My grandmother had similar stories - she went from being unemployed to working in a munitions factory almost overnight when the war started.
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Ethan Clark
If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor for any unemployment questions while working on your paper, I found this service called Claimyr that helps you get through to agents by phone. Check out claimyr.com - they even have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Might be useful if you need to verify any current unemployment data for your research.
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Mason Davis
•Thanks for the tip! I'm actually doing fine with my current claim but that's good to know for future reference.
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Mila Walker
ugh this reminds me of how IMPOSSIBLE it is to get through to NYS Department of Labor these days... like during WWII the government actually WANTED to employ people but now they make it so hard to even file your weekly claims properly. sorry not helpful for your paper but just frustrated with the whole system
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Logan Scott
•I feel you on that! The contrast is pretty stark when you think about it.
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