Unemployment rate dips to 5.6%; 112,000 non-farm payroll jobs added in January

CNBC | Friday, February 6, 2004

[JohnHuang2]

Note the doom and gloom hinted at

At the rate we're going, the jobless rate will be 4.9% by November -- then we'll really be DOOMED! ;-)

[JohnHuang2]

No doubt.

[Fury]

Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Poohbah]

We're doomed!

[techwench]

This is UPSTATE NY that we're talking about

[TXBSAFH]

This is good news.

[David1]

And concerned!

[dirtboy]

This is UPSTATE NY that we're talking about

Then you have employment problems in general that transcend IT and outsourcing. Once again, my job prospects are a lot better now than they were in 2002.

[JohnHuang2]

Indeedy.

[Owen]

We have a significant problem here about which to get the word out. The reporting on these job growth numbers is going to clearly focus on "less than expected". Well, the problem with that is economists are liberals, generally.

They know how to play the expectations game, and they will know it even more when they see how this is being reported. They will top end their "estimates" and guarantee the report will not meet them.

[techwench]

As for upgrading skills/education: Upstate NY a.k.a. Collegetown, USA: land of "Ok, I see by your resume that you DON'T have an MCMS (Masters of Cheese Melting Science). I'm afraid you won't be getting THIS burger flipping job anytime soon."

[GWB00]

Reuters reported this news as disappointing and that it will hurt GWB's re-election chances.

[Lunatic Fringe]

but but but... this is less than the 165000 (money.cnn.com)that had been hoped for/expected, so this is another Bush failure!

CNNMoney Headline:

Payrolls below forecast

[techwench]

I am happy for you; but as the classic IT worker, it does seem that you have less than honed people skills so I do feel sorry for your future co-workers.

[dirtboy]

As for upgrading skills/education: Upstate NY a.k.a. Collegetown, USA

Well, Sam Kinnison advised the Ethiopians to move where the food was. Likewise, I'd recommend that if you want a decent-paying IT job, move where the jobs are. I was out in Colorado and moved back to the Philly area because there was nothing out there after I was laid off. And what has made me employable is the fact that I have a lot of business knowledge, along with technical writing and quality assurance skills.

[ohioWfan]

Yes.......I heard the numbers on Fox earlier.

112,000 jobs is not a bad 'jobless recovery.' :o)

The Dems are going to have to work hard to make this bad news.......although from the press release, I can see they're trying.......

[dirtboy]

I am happy for you; but as the classic IT worker, it does seem that you have less than honed people skills so I do feel sorry for your future co-workers.

That's a rather crass comment - too bad you can't handle honest commentary. I considered moving to upstate New York, but the job market sucked - same for central Pennsylvania. The pay is less than half what I could make in the Philly region. If my saying such indicates to you that my people skills aren't properly honed, methinks you should examine yours instead.

[over3Owithabrain]

That really urines me off! For god sakes, the liberals keep saying how Bush is wrecking the economy, then they complain about "only" 100k plus jobs in one month? If they were correct, the job numbers would be DOWN, not UP.

Even FoxNews is playing this game day after day.

[techwench]

Yes the job market does suck for upstate NY, especially in IT, and that was the original point I was trying to make. Perhaps I should have mentioned "upstate NY" from the get go. My youngest son is a junior in high school with a scholarship to the University of Rochester, so it's not likely that I will be able to move. As for crass comments "Then you have employment problems in general that transcend IT and outsourcing," sounds like you made the first move.

[Sidebar Moderator]

Employment situation summary