BOSTON, March 22 (UPI) -- The loss of 2.3 million jobs in the United States since 2001 has more causes than outsourcing to foreign countries, the Christian Science Monitor said Monday.
Citing figures released by the U.S. Labor Department, Massachusetts has been hit hardest, with 6 percent fewer jobs than it had.
A major factor was Lucent Technology's layoff of almost 3,000 workers between 2001 and 2002. The company announced it was outsourcing the work to Canada and China.
But other factors, including the terror attacks of Sept. 11, corporate scandals and even drought and wildfires have played roles in other states' woes, the report said.
"This isn't just about outsourcing overseas as many people are saying," says Doug Woodward, an economics professor at the University of South Carolina. "This is a complex issue that varies state to state."
The 3.8 percent job decline in Ohio since 2001 was based primarily on factories' investments in better technology during the late 1990s. When the recession came, factories were able to increase productivity while still laying off thousands.
Illinois also took a hit in manufacturing, but that's just part of the 3.7 percent loss in workforce -- the scandalous collapse of accounting firm Arthur Andersen, based in Chicago, left thousands unemployed.
