Shrinking Unemployment Merely Cosmetic, Analysts Say

The highly anticipated employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics sent mixed signals Friday.  While the unemployment rate fell to 9% from 9.4%, hiring disappointed, with nonfarm payrolls adding only 36,000 workers in January.  Several analysts said specific factors such as inclement weather and a greater proportion of discouraged workers were largely responsible for the month?s changes, and that labor markets still face an arduous uphill battle to recover the more than 8 million jobs lost during the recession.

http://blogs.forbes.com/afontevecchia/2011/02/04/shrinking-unemployment-merely-cosmetic-analysts-say/