With the American economic recovery hanging in the balance, private employers were unable to add enough jobs in July to overcome the departure of thousands of temporary Census workers as well as people laid off by cash-strapped state and local governments.
Private employers added 71,000 jobs last month, less than half the 143,000 lost as the Census wound down, and about half the number that economists generally say is needed to simply accommodate population growth. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.5 percent.
Over all, the end of the Census jobs contributed to the nation losing 131,000 jobs in July, according to the Department of Labor’s monthly statistical snapshot of hiring. The Department dramatically revised its number for June down to a loss of 221,000 jobs. The agency originally reported that 125,000 jobs were lost in June. Private sector hiring in June, originally reported at 83,000, was revised downward to 31,000.
Full story: Jobs Report Shows a Private Sector Reluctant to Hire – NYTimes.com
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