3 Oct 2009

Unemployed States of America

6:51 pm on 3 October 2009

The unemployment rate in the United States has hit a 26-year high of nearly 10 percent.

American employers cut 263,000 jobs last month, pushing the rate up to 9.8%.

A US Labor Department report shows the critical labour market reversed course after months of improvement.

Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed has risen by 7.6 million to 15.1 million, and the jobless rate has doubled to 9.8%.

The US economy contracted at a 0.7% pace in the second quarter, nearly emerging from the recession that slashed output by 6.4% in the first quarter, based on the most recent official data.

Most economists expect growth to return in the third quarter but say the recovery could fade without job growth.