308,000 Jobs Created in March (UE Rate Up at 5.7%)

CNBC | April 2, 2004

[RWR8189]

308,000 jobs were created in March.

The unemployment rate held steady 5.7%

HUGE

[Jorge]

Plus move on.org will use george sorass money. They will spend money like drunken sailors,and the economy will prosper.

Interesting thought!
If all the money the Bush haters spend ends up helping the economy (and Bush) more than the lame campaign ads they produce, hurt him.....that would be poetic justice.

It would mean their evil designs backfired on them. Perfect.

[Sorcerer3]

Oh give me a freaking break.

'About your statement about students taking McDonalds, etc. jobs, you forgot that those are "jobs Americans don't want" per our administration, thus the reason for the "guest worker" proposal.'

If americans are unwilling to work these jobs then screw 'em. Let them starve.

Quit making excuses for oother people's lack of proper and responsible decision making. If they don't work they get what they should deserve. NOTHING!!!

[newzjunkey]

Good news. It's about damn time too. We need more of this and to win the peace in Iraq. People don't seem to 'get' winning the peace is *far* more difficult than winning the war, specially for the United States.

[Grampa Dave]

You are right on target with this comment:

What about the unemployed who have no intention of working or even looking for work until they are out of unemployment benefits? There are a lot of those out there.

This past week I was in the Medford, Oregon area. Believing the press, I figured that Medford was in the same terrible jobless situation that the rest of Oregon is in.

It is just the opposite with incredible building going on and the opening of new businesses and expansion of existing business.

Everyone I talked to, said that if a person had any real job skills and wasn't a PIA, they could have a job. Most of their unemployment is the chronic unemployed and those, who moved from Portland or California with no job skills nor intentions to work.

[Grampa Dave]

Amen brother: It's bad enough when the doomers bad mouth good news, but when they keep trying to raise my taxes to 'protect' them it gets real old.

[Grampa Dave]

I have often wondered about this:

The self-employed do not show up anywhere. Their status doesn't show up in the unemployment rate, of course, but more importantly, the newly-self-employed are not counted in job creation. I'll say that again: If an individual starts his own business, this is not counted as the creation of a job.

If this employment is not factored in, I know of a large number of people who were laid off, fired, retired and just quit their jobs and now are self employed. A couple of them are independent contractors and have several independent contractors working for them. All of which are probably considered unemployed.

Thanks for posting this.

[No Fool]

After making sure all immunizations were current, I took a trip over to DUH...I mean D.U. to see what the opposing camp is talking about. Check out this post(verbatim):

I didn't hear the offical announcement but I gather that's the month's rise in job creation? Don't want to hear the "ya..buts". It's all in the perception and the smoke and mirrors. And soon the temporary summer employement will swell the ranks!!! Bush will have created a zillion jobs by the time November rolls around. Oh, I know you have explanations galore---but the public will believe. You know that and I know that. And if your reply is that those "unemployed" places will know differently...well, yes, there are people suffering. But, unfortunately, still not enough in this nation...still not enough. Our job is to convince them they ARE suffering. That may sound like the manipulation the repukes pull. Yes it is and we either do it or lose.

[expat_panama]

Thanks for the good word Grampa, there are so many professional victims who call themselves 'conservative freepers' that it took me a few moments of white knuckle reading before I realized that post #307 was not from our side.

I made the mistake of scanning the bold face text first and then reading the normal after was difficult from having spit up all over the monitor.  No Fool owes me a roll of paper towels.

[Grampa Dave]

At our age, we should try to read the small print first, if we can! :)

[mjaneangels@aolcom]

"Unemployment rates don't include students or unemployed people that have given up searching for a job."

That is a fair enough question. There are only 3 types of people that give up searching for jobs. Those that have found another job, those that have decided to make their own way (created a business) and those that no longer need to earn a wage (Bush Tax Cuts so that husband and wife no longer both need to work to pay taxes...one of them can stay home and take care of the home).

[AndyTheBear]

How dare you question his patriotism!!!!!

Wait a minute, I am only asking for details of his legendary heroism for personal inspiration!

While we are at it, I think more people should know about the heartwarming support this true patriot gave to his fellow vets when he got back home. Who would dare suggest that calling nearly all of them war criminals was unpatriotic? Not I your honor.

[I'm ALL Right!]

Sorry about that...here you are.

[Coop]

Forget the household survey, its picking up things like people doing home based EBAY businesses, and unemployed techies who now consider themselves employed as consultants, with little or no contracts. How can you consider someone employed who spends their time buying used books at garage sales and flipping them on EBAY for a profit. That's not a job, its a hobby.

I don't give a hoot how they're paying the bills (as long as it's legal), only IF they're paying the bills.

The payroll survey just doesn't match up, IMHO, with the strong economic data we've been seeing for the past year. It's not picking up all the self-employed folks, many of whom - despite your mockery - make fine livings for themselves.

[looscnnn]

I am not making any excuses, I am pointing out problems in your statement. If Americans take the McD's jobs, the "guest workers" will still be here only with large portions of them unemployed. If the "guest workers" take them, the unemployed Americans don't get them. I don't know if you are for/against the "guest worker" proposal, but it will/does play a part in all of this.

[oceanview]

buying stuff at garage sales and flipping them for a profit on EBAY may pay the bills, but its not a job, it contributes nothing to the tax base, nothing to the productive sector of the economy. if our economic future is going to be reliant on jobs like that, while the entire technology industry is shipped offshore, its over.

[Coop]

Yes. That's why Wall Street is up ~3000 points in just over a year, because our economy is tanking.

Oh, and there are one or two home businesses that are not exactly as you described. Just one or two...

[oceanview]

corporate profits are doing fine, interest rates are near zero. that's why the market is up.

we are talking about employment here, and the quality of jobs people have.

the economy is not tanking, but its not booming either (for the average person), that's why Bush can't hardly see any kind of lead in the polls against an ultra-liberal, botoxed injected, vietnam anti-war protestor, Massachucetts senator. Bush should be ahead 10-15% in the polls, why isn't he? Jobs are the reason, the offshoring phenomena most specifically.

[MurryMom]

The Bush's administration's job claims are as phony as if Abraham Nunez of the Pgh Pirates batted .329 for the month of April, and then compared himself to the great Bosox slugger, Ted Williams!

[MurryMom]

corporate profits are doing fine, interest rates are near zero. that's why the market is up.

Market is down again today (must be the Piehole Effect) and interest rates are down because the Bush tax cuts and Iraq worries tanked the economy.

we are talking about employment here, and the quality of jobs people have.

Joblessness among college grads is at a 25 year high. The quality of jobs lost is at $45K per year and the average quality of new jobs gained is less than $35K per year.

Today's economy eminds you of Hoover, doesn't it?

[isthisnickcool]

Today's economy eminds you of Hoover, doesn't it?

Nope! Not even a little. Do you have even a small grasp of what the time period Herbert Hoover was president was like? Read a little about Hoover.

Comparing Bush to Hoover is absurd. It's like saying Pam Anderson and Madeline Albright are just the same because they are both female: