This is a beautiful map until you know what the colors mean (click image to see color codes)

If you look really close, you can see a purple sliver where Philadelphia is. The purple is bad news. It means that this county’s unemployment rate could be as high as 9.9%. In March, Philadelphia’s jobless figure hit 9.6%. Ouch! This mosaic of unemployed Americans comes from the Bureau of Labor Stats website.

To find out the reasons things are so bad in Philly I went over to the Philadelphia’s Budget office’s website to see a hidden little data gem. It’s called the “Monthly Economic and Quarterly Revenue Review.” It helps you gauge has fast you’re falling before you hit the ground.

A quick read of the Philadelphia economic report card suggests that things are pretty bad not just here but also around the nation. Here’s what the Budget Office does say about Philadelphia.

Retail sales still holding steady in March as consumers focus on value priced items. Auto sales down as dealers are finding difficulty in attaining financing for car purchases and inventory.

The Manufacturing industry reports continued decline in shipments and new orders from February to March. Philadelphia manufacturers plan to reduce capital spending over the next six months.

The Financial industryreporting that area businesses are cutting inventory and delaying acquisition plans -contributing to decline in commercial and industrial lending. This has offset the small rise in consumer credit during March.

The Philadelphia Real Estate industry showing signs of stabilization in the residential market, with sales relatively unchanged from the previous month. Growth for non-residential real estate expected in the second half of 2009, as federal stimulus dollars go towards infrastructure construction projects.

I remember once reading a story in Business Week that speculated that Philly might fair better in this recession because of our region’s heavy presence in “eds and meds.”  I was hoping this is the case, but there is a mention in the Philly report that says eds are getting hit alot harder than the meds.

Philadelphia’s most highly concentrated industry, Education, showing plummeting levels of employment from Fall of last year.

The Federal Reserve reported a decline in applicants and enrollment, as well as lowering endowments for area colleges and universities.

The Philadelphia Medical industry (“Meds”), showing a trend of relatively unchanged growth each month, maintaining the most

If you get a chance, take a look at this report. While it doesn’t amount to “actionable intelligence” for job hunters, it could be a good resource for you or your company to at least being as informed as our city leaders.