MSNBC: Jobless Rate Drops to Lowest Level in Almost Three Years [View all]

[flpoljunkie]

Last edited Fri Feb 3, 2012, 10:31 AM - Edit history (1)

MSNBC's Morning Joe: 'A Blowout Jobs Number!' 100,000 jobs above the expected number. Just now reported on MSNBC. The net jobs number is 243,000--private sector jobs created minus public sector jobs lost.

Jobless rate drops to lowest level in almost three years

The U.S. economy created jobs at the fastest pace in nine months in January and the unemployment rate dropped to a near three-year low, offering a hopeful sign for hiring in the year ahead.

Employers added a net 243,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported Friday -- that's the most since April and far better than economists' expectations for a gain of only 150,000.

“It’s a strong number, a very strong number, I would say,” said Vassili Serebriakov, a currency strategist at Wells Fargo Bank. “It’s consistent with the broad improvement in the U.S. economic data, but I think the extent of strength in today's report is somewhat of a surprise, and this is a good sign for the U.S. employment market and the U.S. economy.”

The nation’s unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent in January from 8.5 percent in the prior month. The rate has dropped 0.8 percentage point since August and is now at its lowest level in nearly three years.

http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/03/10309295-jobless-rate-drops-to-lowest-level-in-almost-three-years