Unemployment At 8.9%; 192,000 New Jobs Created

How long will it be before conservatives claim the new job numbers are because of the Republican House, even though all they’ve done is focus on repealing health care and abortion rights? Or how long before they harp on how this really doesn’t matter because the number is still too high? But at 8.9% unemployment (yes, too high, but moving in the right direction) and 192,000 net new jobs, a trend is continuing that shows recovery.

It was the largest increase in new jobs since June, when the effects of the Obama administration’s massive stimulus package were at their peak. The unemployment rate was 9% in January, when just 63,000 jobs were created, partly because of severe winter weather in much of the country.

The unemployment rate has plunged nearly 1 percentage point in three months — it was 9.8% in November — and had not been below 9% since April 2009. The new jobs numbers build off a series of postive reports this week.

The gains come in the private sector, offset by losses in state and local governments. Losing government jobs should make the GOP very happy.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.