Unemployment Still at 10 Percent

Chart 1 - Unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted, December 2007 to December 2009. Chart 2 - Nonfarm payroll employment over-the-month change, seasonally adjusted, December 2007 to December 2009. - Photo Courtesy of Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Nonfarm payroll employment edged down (-85,000) in December, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 10 percent. Employment fell in construction, manufacturing and wholesale trade, while temporary help services and health care added jobs. These figures do not bode well for landscape services, which relies heavily on the success of the construction industry.

In December, both the number of unemployed persons stayed unchanged at 15.3 million. At the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons was 7.7 million. Unemployment rate was 5 percent.

Construction employment declined by 53,000 in December, with job losses throughout the industry. Employment in construction has fallen by 1.6 million since the recession began. ?EUR??,,????'?????<