Of course there is only 250,000 jobs open, It's a declining industry. You don't see the Sears, Home Depot, Dell, or HP (to name a few) doing much hiring while they are doing layoffs (contracting) do you? This was partially my point (thanks for backing it up with sources).
My other point was that even when these jobs exist, people don't fill them. If we had 5 million of these same jobs open, how many people (besides legal and illegal immigrants) would fill them.
We have lost 7m+ manufacturing jobs and have 11m unemployed. That is a big percentage. It is estimated that innovation cost only 20-25% of those jobs. The reasons that I mentioned before cost us the rest. Also consider that US consumption of manufactured goods since 1990 has tripled. Even if Technology and innovation cost us 50% of manufacturing jobs, the rise in consumption should have more than compensated for it.
Don't forget the other jobs that are lost when a factory town loses it's factory. The barber, the local tax guy, the corner market ETC. They all go out of business and the employees and owners have been going on unemployment, then welfare, then disability for years. For every two lost factory jobs, there is at least one axillary job lost.
>Over 1 million illegal immigrants left the US in the aftermath of the financial crisis (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/us/31immig.html?partner=rs...) and the number hasn't markedly increased in the last 6 years (http://www.pewhispanic.org/files/2013/09/PH-unauthorized-imm...), yet we have persistently high unemployment and low labor-force participation in concert with baby boomers retiring. Why does the job market still have 8 million more unemployed than openings (http://research.stlouisfed.org/fredgraph.png?g=rrT)?
I am not sure what point you are trying to make here. There are still an estimated 12 million illegals here. More than half arriving while the US was riding the dotcom and housing bubbles (They came here for jobs while the perceived wealth was plentiful and no citizen "needed" these jobs anymore)
>There's no measure whatsoever that shows unemployment at 30%. The most inclusive rate (U6 - http://research.stlouisfed.org/fredgraph.png?g=rrS) shows us at about 13%.
30% is a bit of a stretch, I admit - but don't believe the Census Bureau cheaters. The numbers they give are all based on careful and changing criteria and technicalities. This sheds some light on what I am talking about. http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/11/real-unemployment-rate-30/
Now just imagine in govt size/jobs had not grown by 40%+ in the last decade. Unemployment would be way worse.
Not sure how your post proves that my statements are ignorant and fairly abhorrent. You only go on to reinforce what I am saying.