This week we asked readers if they believe the accuracy of the most current statewide jobless figure of 5.1 percent and whether these jobs pay enough for a person to pay their bills and grow into the job.

I don’t think so. Maybe these jobs can pay a part of a month’s rent. I mean, I’m a college student. They’re not the kind of jobs you can sustain a life by yourself, but if you had a roommate or lived with family, it could help. A lot of these jobs seem like fast-food jobs. I’ve noticed that if you know someone, you can get a decent job that you can grow into, but if you don’t know anyone you’re screwed.
Eddie Torres
Williamsbridge

I think there should be more opportunities for people to take vocational courses, so people can be trained. I work in the medical field and feel we are overworked, not so much as far as underpaid, but definitely overworked. We’re given more responsibility. They’re not hiring, and people are retiring or moving on to other fields and they’re not replacing those jobs. So I find it hard to believe that the system is working. The government could work a little harder at training people vocationally for people to get in a door and learn a trade.
Serafina Colon
Parkchester

I think there’s a lot of jobs out here, but the fast food jobs are mostly for teenagers and now it’s hard to get one of those jobs because there’s a lot of competition. It’s not easy out here. How can you survive on minimum wage?
Emanuel Calef
Pelham Parkway

I’m a construction worker, so I’d say yes and no. Some of the jobs are good and some are not so good. It’s going to take some time for things to start to balance out and it’s time consuming. But nothing happens overnight. Day by day it’s getting better. A couple of my friends just went back to work and they were looking for months.
Kevin Dingle
Norwood

I’d say the unemployment rate is closer to 10 percent. My son can’t find a job and he’s been looking for about a year. He got a job at Barnes & Nobles, but that was for the Christmas season, and they’re also moving. So he’s worried right now because I’m about to turn the other screw. I’m not going to turn it, but I’ve got to keep him on his toes. I think its BS; every election year it’s the same thing. Let’s see what happens now. Maybe things will get better.
Raymond Torres
Bedford Park

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.