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Employment Loss of 85,000 Jobs

This past December, the economy lost 85,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 10% as reported in the December 2009 Employment Situation report. U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, who recently commented on the report, said, “Today’s numbers underscore that we still have work to do before we can be sure that all Americans have access to good jobs. We are working aggressively to reverse these conditions for American workers and their families.

“Despite the bumpy road to recovery, we have made progress,” she continues. “One year ago, our economy was losing close to 700,000 jobs a month. We met this challenge head on through the Recovery Act -- putting a plan in place designed to create jobs and drive economic growth through a combination of tax relief for individuals and businesses, aid to hard-hit families and state and local governments, and funding for science, technology and infrastructure projects across the country. Thanks to this program, we have saved or created more than 1 million jobs.

“Over the past year, the Obama Administration has continued to take bold steps to attack this recession, and the Department of Labor has undertaken measures to ensure that we fulfill our responsibility to provide workers with the assistance they need today and invest in their future. As we invest in workers, we are also providing them the assistance they need. The Recovery Act provided additional weeks of unemployment insurance for all workers and is subsidizing COBRA health insurance premiums for many unemployed. We will continue to work aggressively to ensure that we provide workers with the assistance they need to help them find good jobs, and I am confident that our initiatives will help turn our economy around, creating pathways to success for all Americans.”