Employers added 200,000 jobs to the US economy in December as unemployment fell to 8.5%, the government announced on Friday.
According to the US Labour Department's monthly survey of employers private companies added 212,000 jobs in December, while the public sector—federal, state and local governments—shrank by 12,000.
A separate survey of US households said the unemployment rate sank to 8.5% in December, its lowest level since February 2009.
While job growth has yet to make up for the ground lost during the recession, 13.1 million Americans remain unemployed, December was the 15th consecutive month that the numbers have risen. » | Dominic Rushe | Friday, January 06, 2012
THE GUARDIAN: Eurozone unemployment hits new record: In bailed-out Greece, unemployment stands at 18.8%, up from 13.3%; while Spain now has the highest unemployment rate in Europe, at 22.9% ¶ Public spending cuts and collapsing business confidence have sent unemployment in the eurozone to a record 16 million people, up 587,000 on the same month in 2010. ¶ Official figures compiled by Eurostat, the EU's statistics agency, show the heavy toll taken on the workforce by austerity measures and the slowdown in the eurozone economy during 2011. ¶ Unemployment across the 17-member single currency area hit 16.4 million by November. The unemployment rate – the proportion of the workforce without a job – has risen only slightly over the past 12 months, to 10.3%; but many workers have given up on finding a job. » | Heather Stewart | Friday, January 06, 2012
