Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts out a report called the “Employment Situation.” It’s what tells us how many jobs were created in the past month, and what the unemployment rate is.
This month’s report is in, and the numbers are strong:
The economy created 248,000 jobs in September. And the unemployment rate dropped to 5.9 percent, the lowest rate since July 2008.
And while we don’t put too much stock in any one report, there’s a clear trend here.
This month’s report was a clear indication of how far we’ve come since the recession, but we’ve still got more to do. We know that many Americans aren’t feeling enough of the benefits of this recovery. That’s something President Obama addressed yesterday, when he laid out his plan for a new foundation for America’s 21st century economy.
Thanks to the determination of the American people and the decisions of President Obama’s administration, our economy is stronger than it’s been in years: Businesses have added 10.3 million jobs over 55 straight months, the longest streak on record.
The unemployment rate has fallen to 5.9 percent. That’s a number many economists didn’t think we’d see for years.
We’ve still got more to do, but this is news worth sharing: new jobs, a lower unemployment rate, and historic progress.