New Jobs Added in March

Everyone knows the economy is harsh. There are glaring reminders everywhere, including countless news reports of stocks dropping, businesses closing, and people struggling to stay afloat amidst difficult times. Hearing of people having difficulty finding jobs is nothing new, and it is not so uncommon anymore to learn that the jobless rate in the U.S. is increasing.

However, in a recent turn of events, the economy has, once again, reason to hope that a recovery is on the way. Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor reported its largest job gain in three years: a rise in employment of 162,000. Though this doesn’t mean the U.S. will be speeding out of the recession any time soon, this piece of news does bring some needed light to a bleak-looking economy.

162,000 jobs may sound like a lot; but, considering the size of the nation, the recent job gain doesn’t make much of a dent in the unemployment rate of 9.7%—approximately 11 million people out of work. “Even though the unemployment rate stands firm, optimism among people in the economy will go up,” said junior Clincy Cheung. “[162,000 jobs] is definitely not a lot compared to the number of people who are still unemployed,” said sophomore Gordon Yao. “It’s a small step, but we could do better.” Earlier in the year, analysts had also expected the economy to do better; they forecasted a job gain in Mar. of 190,000, which was not met.

“I think [this] is a sign that the economy is improving, because economists have analyzed the economy, which [has]started to grow again after a sharp decline,” added Clincy. “I think the recession will truly end when people start to regain confidence.”

Healing the Job Economy: One Small Step at a Time
162,000 Reasons to Keep Believing

Everyone knows the economy is harsh. There are glaring reminders everywhere, including countless news reports of stocks dropping, businesses closing, and people struggling to stay afloat amidst difficult times. Hearing of people having difficulty finding jobs is nothing new, and it is not so uncommon anymore to learn that the jobless rate in the U.S. [United States; spell out when used as a noun] is increasing.

However, in a recent turn of events, the economy has, once again, reason to hope that a recovery is on the way. Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor reported its largest job gain in three years: a rise in employment of 162,000. Though this doesn’t mean the U.S. will be speeding out of the recession any time soon, this piece of news does bring some needed light to a bleak-looking economy.

162,000 [Spell out numbers when they begin a sentence] jobs may sound like a lot; but, considering the size of the nation, the recent job gain doesn’t make much of a dent in the unemployment rate of 9.7%—approximately 11 million people out of work. “Even though the unemployment rate stands firm, optimism among people in the economy will go up,” said junior Clincy Cheung. “[162,000 [One hundred and sixty-two thousand] jobs] is definitely not a lot compared to the number of people who are still unemployed,” said sophomore Gordon Yao. “It’s a small step, but we could do better.” Earlier in the year, analysts had also expected the economy to do better; they forecasted a job gain in Mar. [March] of 190,000, which was not met.

“I think [this] is a sign that the economy is improving, because economists have analyzed the economy, which [has] started to grow again after a sharp decline,” added Clincy. “I think the recession will truly end when people start to regain confidence.”

Everyone knows the economy is harsh. There are glaring reminders everywhere, including countless news reports of stocks dropping, businesses closing, and people struggling to stay afloat amidst difficult times. Hearing of people having difficulty finding jobs is nothing new, and it is not so uncommon anymore to learn that the jobless rate in the United States is increasing.

However, in a recent turn of events, the economy once again has reason to hope that a recovery is on the way. Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor reported its largest job gain in three years: a rise in employment of 162,000. Among the 50 states, 33 reported as having job gains in the recent month, with Maryland adding as many as 35,800 jobs. Though this doesn’t mean the United States will be speeding out of the recession any time soon, this piece of news does bring some needed light to a bleak-looking economy.

On the other hand, though 162,000 jobs may sound like a lot, that perception changes when the size and population of the United States is taken into consideration. “[162,000 jobs] is definitely not a lot compared to the number of people who are still unemployed,” said sophomore Gordon Yao. Like Gordon, many people have realized that the recent job gain doesn’t make much of a dent in the national unemployment rate of 9.7%, which equals to approximately 11 million people out of work. Earlier in the year, analysts had also expected the economy to do better; they forecasted a job gain in March of 190,000, which was not met.

Though these statistics are somewhat disheartening, some are still hopeful that this job gain means the economy is picking up. “Even though the unemployment rate stands firm, optimism among people in the economy will go up,” said junior Clincy Cheung. California’s unemployment rate stands at 12.6%, as of March, and several other states have it much worse, but people are hoping that this recent job means that things are looking up for the United States and therefore their own communities. “I think [this] is a sign that the economy is improving, because economists have analyzed the economy, which [has] started to grow again after a sharp decline,” said Clincy. “I think the recession will truly end when people start to regain confidence.”

While it’s not yet time to pull out the party poppers, many economists in general agree that this recent job rise, however small, will be a step up for the U.S. economy. “It’s a small step,” said Gordon. “But we can do better.”

Healing the Job Economy: One Small Step at a Time
162,000 Reasons to Keep Believing