Record Jobless Rates As Auto Industry Reconfigures

NPR | By Michel Martin,

Frank Langfitt

Published April 3, 2009 at 12:00 PM EDT

Much of the world's focus is on President Barack Obama's first trip to Europe, where he attended the G20 world economic summit in London. But in the U.S., the Obama administration's recent overhaul of American auto giants General Motors and Chrysler, along with record unemployment numbers, has many shifting their focus.

NPR Labor Correspondent Frank Langfitt breaks down the recent jobless numbers — the nation's highest since 1983 — and talks about the future of the U.S. automotive industry.

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Michel Martin

Michel Martin is the weekend host of All Things Considered and host of the Consider This Saturday podcast, where she draws on her deep reporting and interviewing experience to dig in to the week's news. Outside the studio, she has also hosted "Michel Martin: Going There," an ambitious live event series in collaboration with Member Stations.

Frank Langfitt

Frank Langfitt is NPR's London correspondent. He covers the UK and Ireland, as well as the war in Ukraine and its implications in Europe. Langfitt has reported from more than fifty countries and territories around the globe.