Comparisons among state unemployment insurance systems can be misleading. Frequently quoted indicators of the generosity of their benefits, competitiveness, and adherence to the experience-rating principal are influenced by states' relative economic conditions, thereby obscuring underlying...

In March 2002, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released revised state and regional employment data based on the 2001 benchmark, affecting data for 2000 and 2001. Contrary to the employment boost shown in last year's revisions, the 2002 revisions increased New England's measured...