By John Tamny of RealClearMarkets
Last Thursday’s news of yet another increase in the national rate of unemployment was predictably met with quite a few downcast headlines. The Wall Street Journal led with “Rising Job Losses Damp Hopes of Recovery”, while top Pimco investment strategist Mohamed El-Erian penned a piece for the Financial Times titled “American jobs data are worse than we think.”
In times like these it’s hard to minimize the pain felt by many Americans. For those who are jobless, every day they’re out of work likely combines humiliation with fear that nothing will materialize. And for those lucky enough to be working, each day likely begins with perilous thoughts of an axe that is soon to fall. Still, as with everything in life, there are positive tradeoffs to our present economic difficulties.
For one, it has to be remembered that successful companies remain on top by virtue of destroying jobs.