Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Posted on February 3, 2012 at 12:45 pm by Bob Cesca

Some positive news on the jobs front:

According to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy created 243,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent. Analysts had expected about 140,000 jobs. The private sector created 257,000 jobs.

Ezra Klein sums it up:

The bottom line is that this isn’t just a good jobs report. It’s a recovery jobs report. It’s showing the sort of numbers that win elections. As my colleague Neil Irwin tweeted, “That sound you hear is champagne corks in the West Wing.”

And the chart:

As employment and the economy improve, the Republican line “failed policies of the Obama administration” sounds increasingly similar to the pathetic teleprompter lines.

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  • Camel54

    Not to be too critical of your longtime benefactor, but right on queue the HuffPo presents the story with the qualifier that three million unemployed are not counted in this report. Why can’t they publish good news without some sort of negative take on it? It’s really getting unbearable if for no other reason it’s the same story every time. If those three million haven’t been counted every time unemployment has decreased, that means the trend is the same. Has Reich (whom I admire greatly) written his post about us not popping the champagne just yet? How about RJ Eskow? Surely they’ve had time to change the date from last month’s version to reflect today’s date.

    • http://twitter.com/JimmyAbra Jimmy Abraham

      I would be someone who would say that we still need to wait for longer term numbers showing good signs before we decide to pop the corks. Yes, this is good and things seem promising. But, just as weather, one reading does not mean a trend. We can can feel good now!

      • Brutlyhonest

        From the graphic, the trend is pretty clear.

        The missing part of the story is how much better it would be without the republican’s obstruction.

        • http://twitter.com/JimmyAbra Jimmy Abraham

          True and true. Regarding the graphic, the one thing it does not show is population increase and increase/decrease in those looking for jobs. I want to see multiple numbers like the one we just had, in a row, before I start feeling better in the numbers.

        • laddieluv

          Bingo!!

        • stacib23

          And what it can’t show is the jobs lost due to Republican local and state governments laying off teachers, firemen, policemen and civilian workers and the effect that has on the overall jobs number.

    • http://twitter.com/KQuark KQµårk™

      Of course the gloom and doom machines can’t say things are getting better. A big part of people not going back to work are families going back to single earner households which in the long run could be better for society. Still the gloom and doomers have a vested interest on both sides for this country to decline because if things get better it affects the bottom lines of their outrage machines.

  • http://rob.yurkowski.net/ Rob Yurkowski

    Meanwhile, in Canada, we’re up to a 7.6% unemployment rate, and we fell short 23,000 jobs from our prediction. Lots of those were well-paying construction jobs.

    Got any spare hope and change you can loan us?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Teresa-Webber-Perkins/1825558580 Teresa Webber Perkins

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/record-12-million-people-fall-out-labor-force-one-month-labor-force-participation-rate-tumbles

    According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment is 8.3%. That is the sound byte in the news. The BLS simply cut 1/2 the unemployed from the statistic. Actually, using the same formula the BLS used last month Unemployment is 16%, meaning there was a huge jump in Unemployed.

    “The people not in the labor force exploded by an unprecedented record 1.2 million. No, that’s not a typo: 1.2 million people dropped out of the labor force in one month! So as the labor force increased from 153.9 million to 154.4 million, the non institutional population increased by 242.3 million meaning, those not in the labor force surged from 86.7 million to 87.9 million. Which means that the civilian labor force tumbled to a fresh 30 year low of 63.7% as the BLS is seriously planning on eliminating nearly half of the available labor pool from the unemployment calculation.” – ZH.

    • joseph2004

      It amazes me how the mainstream major networks, when reporting this stuff, omit the “dropped out” numbers and present the new numbers as “upbeat.”
      Here’s more on the reality…

      http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/02/03/santelli_12_million_fall_out_of_labor_force_as_participation_rate_hits_20-year_low.html

      • stacib23

        The amazing thing to me is that in all probability “they” are reporting umemployment as it’s always been reported. It is only during this administration that folks want all of the nuances acknowledged.

        • joseph2004

          I think it has more to do with the extent of the unemployment problem this time around. It’s been deeper and longer lasting, and as such has revealed the “nuances” that normally have less impact on the factual numbers. This time, the nuances have real relevance.
          Just a hunch.
          In any case, I’d rather know the “real” number.
          (Don’t worry. I’m not blaming Obama).

  • http://www.intoxination.net intoxination

    The number is good, but the job market still isn’t that great. A lot of college grads are taking jobs making a lot less. New manufacturing jobs are also not paying what they once did. Of course this is a trend that started long before Obama ever even took the oath of office. It would be nice to get unemployment way down and get some sort of push for retraining and better salary incentives. Of course with the party of NO controlling the House, that will never happen.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Danny-Collins/100000939084353 Danny Collins

    If things go according to form, we’ll be back in the, “he made it worse” slog storyline the MSM is intent on foisting upon us (Remember, 80% white Americans say President Obama’s Stimulus did not create one job. Racist Ass wipes!). Want more proof of this racist coordination?
    1. Romney is back to his, “he made it worse” lie that he had taken back when the media called him on it 4 months ago.
    2. Still waiting for the Left, or one of these fact-check websites refuse to “blow up” Romney’s, “my 4000 jobs created in 4 years as governor is more than President Obama has created in 3 years” lie.
    3. Imagine if President Obama was a member of a secretive church whose doors were closed to all non-members.
    4. Imagine if President Obama’s former church had a history that included a policy that once excluded white people from participation?
    5. Imagine if President Obama was a member of a secretive church that baptized the dead?
    6. Imagine if President Obama was a member of a secretive church that had a history polygamy?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Danny-Collins/100000939084353 Danny Collins

    Bob,

    WTF is up with Dylan Ratigan? This “Obama Derangement, jerk off” scoffs at 243,000 private sector jobs created as a positive. He’s continues fueling this, ” both sides are at fault, but the n$%%^r is to blame” hysteria on both the Left and the Right. Remember this next wondering why, Ron “Grand Wizard” Paul seems to only be in the GOP race to deny the “anyone but Romney” forces any chance?

    • ArrogantDemon

      He’s a former Wall Streeter who is pals with Cenk Uygar, lets leave it there

      • http://twitter.com/KQuark KQµårk™

        Absolutely Cenk and the RAT are just as bad. They are both ex-right wing opportunists and Aryanna BFFs.

    • http://twitter.com/KQuark KQµårk™

      If you rip of RATigan’s mask off you will find that Alex Jones is underneath.

  • burbank_burt

    Graph with a small reminder added:
    http://i39.tinypic.com/15hh1k2.png

  • ArrogantDemon

    Let see, more job created, black unemployment went down over 2 points, but its still not good enough, damn, if the critics were my girlfriend, I would have left her already.

  • http://twitter.com/KQuark KQµårk™

    Unemployment went down for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan a whopping 6%. Of course it’s still too high but that’s a phenomenal number.

    http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/02/03/418108/jobs-report-promising-for-veterans/

    The few vets I had the privilege to hire had been some of the best employees I ever had. So hire a vet. You will be the one rewarded.