Unemployment numbers continued a downward trend for the fifth straight month, with more jobs added in January than in the eight months prior.
The Labor Department says employers added 243,000 jobs in January, with hiring widespread across many high-paying industries. Unemployment dropped from 8.5 in December to 8.3 in January.
Employers have added an average of 201,000 jobs per month in the past three months. That's 50,000 more jobs per month than the economy averaged in each month last year.
More good news out of January's report: the economy added 200,000 more jobs in 2011 than originally thought. Nearly twice as many jobs were created in 2011 than in 2010.
Not all news was good: 12.8 million people remain out of work, though the number is at the lowest since the recession ended. Eleven million more are underemployed, meaning they work part-time but would prefer full-time, or work in a job with low wages. Underemployment rates did drop slightly in January.
The U.S. still has a long ways to go to reach pre-recession numbers, with about 5.6 million fewer jobs than in late 2007, when the recession began.
Updated: 05/18/12 - Hanging on for dear life. It takes on a whole new meaning when you’re riding a bucking bull 10 times your size. But that’s just another day at the office for PBR star Austin Meier. Here’s how he lives a FIT LIFE: Read More
Updated: 05/17/12 - I'm ready for Saturday! And I'm REALLY ready to beat my time from last year. I'm finding inspiration from my friends - and a friendly tortoise. Read More
Updated: 05/13/12 - A 9 -month season comes down to 90 seconds. Read More
Posted: 05/01/12 - I'm making more room for fruits and vegetables in my diet, after learning some STARTLING information about how little farmland is dedicated to growing them. Read More
Posted: 05/01/12 - Identify these vegetables! That's all I had to do. Read on to find out how I did, along with some new inspiration for veggie knowledge in the future. Read More
