Chances are getting higher that more Americans may find themselves without a job in coming months. According to a recent report by the National Association for Business Economics, projected lower growth in the economy is expected to lead to higher-than-expected unemployment. The unemployment rate is now predicted to be at 5.2% in 2008 and 2009, up from the 4.9% forecast in the November NABE survey. Some 45% of the economists surveyed by NABE also predict that a recession will occur by the end of 2008.

These numbers are not just meaningless percentages. They are about real people who need to pay real grocery bills, college tuitions and health insurance premiums, as well as companies who may have to lay off valued employees.

The projections reaffirm recent concerns by labor unions over the direction of the economy. The AFL-CIO already has called for extending unemployment benefits by 13 additional weeks. No doubt, union leadership will be citing these projections when making a case for worker demands. As the current leaders in Washington, D.C., debate over what to do with the economy, they must realize that any economic stimulus package will have a limited impact on increasing employment. It's going to be up to the next president to make the economy globally competitive for workers as well as for business.