- Economy gained 227K jobs in Feb.; more unemployed rejoin workforce, By Ylan Q. Mui, March 9, 2012, Washington Post: “The nation’s economic picture brightened in February, as employers added more than 200,000 jobs for the third month in a row and more people were encouraged enough by the growing economy to start looking for work again. But the good news came with a technical caveat: The monthly unemployment rate — a crucial number closely watched by both economists and politicians — remained stuck in neutral at 8.3 percent. Though analysts welcomed Friday’s report as another step in the right direction for the recovery, the jobless rate has become a political flashpoint in Washington and on the campaign trail…”
- U.S. extends its run of strong job growth another month, By Shaila Dewan, March 9, 2012, New York Times: “In yet another sign of a strengthening recovery, the United States added 227,000 net jobs in February, the third consecutive month of gains over 200,000. The unemployment rate was unchanged from 8.3 percent in January, the Labor Department reported Friday, as nearly a half-million people who had been staying on the sidelines rejoined the search for work. The improving job growth numbers could bolster President Obama’s effort to make the case to voters that his economic policies are working…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty