Sep 6 (THAINDIAN NEWS) As Labor Day of 2010 is being celebrated across the United States of America, very many of the country’s citizens seem to have nothing to celebrate, with the unemployment rate at an all time high, and so many have no job to”labor” at. As President Barack Obama speaks to honor American workers on Labor Day at the Milwaukee Laborfest in Wisconsin, almost fifteen million citizens of the United States are out of work, and see no light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

The first Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, and is now on the first Monday in September. It is a day set aside to celebrate the contributions which are made by the American worker to the strength, prosperity, and well being of their country.

According to the database of the US Department of Labor, the unemployment rate of Arizona is currently at 9.6, much higher than the rate of 3.7 which was reported in 2007, under a different president. The national unemployment rate has not changed much in the last few months, despite reports to the contrary, and it holds steady at 9.5 to 9.7 percent.

What is not often mentioned i the “underemployment rate” which is the number of people who are working part time, which will not pay their bills, because they cannot find full time work. Most of these citizens have either faced a cut in hours, or had to accept job making far less than what their skill level suggests they have, since the jobs are just not there. The number if these people has increased to 8.9 million.

Many Americans are now finding work from other countries, online, for example, which can be a life saver. The American laws which require employers to pay “minimum wage”, however, do not apply in these circumstances, and yet again, many workers find themselves making far less money than was expected. In a time when so many are without jobs, even those with part-time work or less-than-minimum-wage pay are very grateful for the jobs they do have.

For those who do have jobs, as they eat their ribs, and enjoy their “Labor Day Picnics” perhaps they should remember to say a prayer for the less fortunate, and as America celebrates the hard work of those with jobs, don’t forget the struggles of those without.