Protest in pink
Protest in pink
A "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" protester gets colorful at today’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the possible repeal of the policy.
(Photo: AP/Alex Brandon)
Economic picture looking bleaker than everBy Zachary RothSenior National Affairs ReporterPostsEmailRSSBy Zachary Roth | The Lookout – Fri, Dec 3, 2010unemployment benefitsIn recent months, signs like rising retail sales had suggested that the economy might slowly be coming to life, and that a recovery, including a rise in the jobless rate, might not be too far around the corner.
But Friday’s news that the unemployment rate nudged up yet again in November has put a serious dent in those hopes. chinesisches The economy added just 39,000 jobs last month, according to the latest government numbers, and analysts say the latest bout of bad news on the jobs front is extremely discouraging. What’s more, there has been a less-noticed downturn in home values, suggesting that the sector that played a key role in plunging the economy into the doldrums still hasn’t recovered, despite billions in government help. chinesisches Combined with the deadlock in Congress over maintaining an extension jobless benefits, the news is starkly gloomy for the millions of Americans who remain out of work.
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The jobless numbers are perhaps the most disappointing. Unemployment rose last month to a seven-month high of 9.8 percent, according to Labor Department numbers. Nonfarm payrolls rose by only 39,000, far short of the expected 140,000, which would have kept the jobless figure steady at 9.6 percent. One cause of the bleak picture was the contraction of government payrolls, as local authorities cut jobs in response to budget problems.