290,000 Jobs Created in April, Jobless Rate Up to 9.9%
May 07, 2010
The Department of Labor report this morning shows 290,000 jobs were created in April, the largest one-month gain in over four years and the fourth straight month that employment has increased.
The unemployment rate, however, worsened to 9.9 percent, up from 9.7 percent in March. The total unemployment figure, including those who are discouraged or underemployed, rose to 17.1 percent in April from 16.9 percent in March — there are now 27 million U.S. workers without jobs or full-time work.
But economists say the increase in the unemployment rate can be viewed as good news because it means that more than 800,000 workers entered the labor force, many of them formerly discouraged workers who had stopped looking for work.
Contact Congress and urge your representative to support the Local Jobs for America Act to ensure these positive trends continue. Read more on the AFL-CIO Now blog.
