The White House this morning touted “solid job growth” in November as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a decrease in the unemployment rate from 7.3 percent to 7.0 percent.
“Among the unemployed, the number who reported being on temporary layoff decreased by 377,000. This largely reflects the return to work of federal employees who were furloughed in October due to the partial government shutdown,” the report said.
Still, “among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (6.7 percent), adult women (6.2 percent), teenagers (20.8 percent), whites (6.2 percent), blacks (12.5 percent), and Hispanics (8.7 percent) changed little in November.”
“The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was essentially unchanged at 4.1 million in November… The civilian labor force rose by 455,000 in November, after declining by 720,000 in October. The labor force participation rate changed little (63.0 percent) in November.”
“With solid job growth in November – in addition to strong data on manufacturing activity and auto sales – it is clear that the recovery continues to gain traction. Today’s report was yet another reminder of the resilience of America’s private sector following the disruptive government shutdown and debt limit brinksmanship in the first half of October,” Jason Furman, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, said in a statement.
“Nevertheless, today’s jobs numbers show that too many Americans who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer are still struggling to find jobs,” Furman added. “That is why the president is calling on Congress to pass the extension of emergency unemployment insurance before it expires at the end of the year, just like they have always done when long-term unemployment remains elevated. The president also continues to work to increase overall growth while ensuring that growth is shared broadly in the form of higher wages and more mobility, which is why he is fighting for a minimum wage increase and expansion of educational opportunities.”
Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) said “there’s no question that every new job that was created last month is a positive step in the right direction – particularly for American families who are desperate for good economic news.”
“And yet there’s still a feeling of disappointment and trepidation all across this country, and it is not because of one economic report or another. It is because after years of being told by President Obama and his allies that a robust economy is on its way so long as Washington continues to take more, spend more, and control more, the American people look around and realize this administration’s confidence in its own policies was remarkably misplaced,” Price said.
“Indeed, there’s been a tremendous amount of focus as of late on the promises President Obama has made and broken when it comes to his health care law – most notably the fact that millions of Americans are going to see their policies cancelled and their premiums rise despite what this administration and their allies claimed. But the Obama administration has also made promises time and again that their policies of higher taxes, more government spending and greater Washington authority would somehow jumpstart the economy and restore confidence in the American dream,” he added.
“The fact that those promises have also been proven empty time and again is as equally tragic if not more so for the millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet in President Obama’s economy.”
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