News
WSJ | For Most Graduates, Grueling Job Hunt Awaits
Graduating college students face a mixed job market at best this year, and most will leave school without an offer in hand, despite an uptick in hiring by on-campus recruiters.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Investors | Labor Force Shrinks As Jobless Swell Disability Ranks
The civilian labor force shrank in April by 342,000 workers and remains below where it stood when the economic recovery started 34 months ago, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
WSJ | The Vanishing Workers
The economy turned in another lackluster month for job creation in April, with 115,000 net new jobs, 130,000 in private business (less 15,000 fewer in government). The unemployment rate fell a tick to 8.1%, albeit mainly because the labor force shrank by 342,000.
Washington Times | More phony job numbers
The White House crowed on Friday about the unemployment rate dropping a 10th of a percent. At the same time, the number of people out of the labor force reached a record high. The Obama administration can report all the funny numbers it wants, but the American people know in their guts that things are getting much worse.
Investors | The Unemployment Rate Is Meaningless
Normally, a drop in the unemployment rate would be a welcome sign of an economy on the mend. But in the upside-down world of Obamanomics, the jobless figure is increasingly useless, hiding more than it reveals.
Heritage Foundation | Heritage Employment Report: Jobs Do Not Bloom in April
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy added 115,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate declined to 8.1 percent from 8.2 percent. However, further declines in the percentage of Americans in the labor force explain this slightly lower unemployment rate. Indeed, the labor force participation rate dipped to a 30-year low as many unemployed workers simply left the labor force.
Blogs
Economist | Bringing back those missing millions
Friday's jobs report touched off a round of hand-wringing over the possibility of permanent damage to America's labour force as a result of years of labour-market weakness.
WSJ | Depth of Recession Makes Recovery Look Worse
Since the job market bottomed out in February, 2010, the U.S. has added 3.7 million jobs, an average of about 134,000 per month. Despite Friday’s disappointing jobs figures, the pace of growth has generally been accelerating: U.S. employers have added an average of 197,000 jobs per month over the past six months, up from 106,000 in the prior six months.
