Unemployment At 8.8%, A Two-Year Low

Unemployment figures for March show further movement toward economic recovery, with the figure down to 8.8% and companies adding workers at a faster two-month pace than before the recession began.

The Labor Department says the economy added 216,000 new jobs last month, offsetting layoffs at local governments. Factories, retailers, education, health care and an array of professional and financial services expanded payrolls.

Private employers, the backbone of the economy, drove nearly all of the gains. They added 230,000 jobs last month, on top of 240,000 in February. It was the first time private hiring topped 200,000 in back-to-back months since 2006 — more than a year before the recession started.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.