Perilous Times
8 October 2010 Last updated at 16:26 ET
US sees at least 100,000 jobs lost in September
National Career Fair in Los Angeles High unemployment is undermining
the US recovery
The US economy lost at least another 100,000 jobs in September, as
public sector cuts outpaced hiring by the private sector.
According to the Labor Department figures, the fall was almost double
August's 54,000 job loss number.
The jobless rate held at 9.6%, but still marks the 14th straight month
it has been above 9.5%.
The jobs news sent stocks slightly higher after raising expectations
the US Federal Reserve will take further action to pump money into the
economy.
The main Dow Jones index closed above 11,000 for the first time in five
months, rising 58 points to 11,006.48.
Part-timers
A total of 159,000 government lay-offs were made in September, with the
private sector adding 64,000 positions, the weakest gain since June.
Of the public sector job cuts, about 76,000 were in local government,
with a large number of lay-offs among teachers, analysts said.
The so-called "under-employment rate" - those who have given up looking
for work or are part-timers seeking full-time posts - rose to 17.1% in
September from 16.7% in August.
Sectors showing jobs growth included healthcare, retailing, and leisure
and hospitality.
In the private sector, the manufacturing and construction industries
cut the most jobs.
Meanwhile, revisions to data for July and August showed 15,000 more
jobs were lost in those months than previously reported.
The jobless data is the Labor Department's final report before
November's elections to Congress, when the Democrats will come under
intense pressure about the state of the economy.