unemployment rate

The unemployment rate’s unexpected drop to a three-year low has overshadowed a less-positive labor- market development: fewer Americans are looking for work.

Here is a recap of the top news items from this week on Wall Street: 1. The Facebook IPO was an obvious #1 on the top ten....... until Friday's blowout jobs report. 243,000 payrolls were added in the nonfarm sector, 257,000 were added in the private sector and, in the manufacturing sector, about 50,000 jobs were added.

Economists were expecting a nonfarm reading of 140,000 additions, private additions of 160,000 and manufacturing adds of just 12,000.

The unemployment rate fell nicely from 8.5 percent in December to 8.3 percent in January.

The United States economy gained momentum in January, adding 243,000 jobs, the second straight month of better-than- expected gains.

American employers substantially stepped up their hiring in January, bringing the unemployment rate down for the fifth month in a row.

In the most impressive surge for the job market since the middle of last decade, the United States added 243,000 jobs in January, far more than economists expected.

The unemployment rate dropped to 8.3 percent, the lowest in three years.

The Idaho Department of Labor says the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December fell to 8.4 percent, the lowest level since September 2009.

The unemployment rate for veterans aged 20 to 24 has averaged 30 percent this year, in part because managers have difficulty translating military accomplishments to the civilian world.

Congress will soon take up an unemployment benefits extension for the ninth time since 2008. Supporters say continuing the lifeline is critical, but others worry it is keeping the unemployment rate high.

The big picture doesn't lie....In the last year, the civilian population rose by 1,726,000. Yet the labor force fell by 67,000.

Those not in the labor force rose by 1,793,000....In November, those "Not in Labor Force" rose by a whopping 487,000.

If you are not in the labor force, you are not counted as unemployed...Were it not for people dropping out of the labor force, the unemployment rate would be well over 11%.

Employment growth picked up speed in November, pushing the nation’s unemployment rate down to 8.6 percent -- its lowest level since March 2009.