AS I WAS SAYING THE OTHER DAY: People returning to labor force in droves — a key step for the economy.

Nine years after the end of the Great Recession, the U.S. economy has achieved an unemployment rate comparable to the boom period of the late 1990s. Some 600,000 people rejoined the labor market last month, actively looking for work, a sign that jobs are indeed out there, and people are motivated to look for them.

The jobs report suggests that the gradual improvement of labor market conditions continues. Labor market recovery did not start yesterday; it has been a sustained trend, building momentum especially in 2015 and 2016 and continuing in 2017 and 2018.

The recovery is broad-based, with employment growing in almost all sectors of the economy. Only retail trade, interestingly, showed notable job losses in June.

The most encouraging aspect of the June report was the increase in the labor force. The substantial drop in the proportion of Americans actually working was a major negative effect of the Great Recession.

When enough people start looking for work again after becoming officially “discouraged” and falling off the unemployment roles, the unemployment rate can actually tick up (as it did last month), even during a period of substantial jobs growth.

It’s weird though that Obama didn’t get his Recovery Summer until after he left office.