[Jorge]

Where has employment grown?

The unemployment rate has dropped from around 6.4 percent less than a year ago to 5.6 percent.

This is the lowest unemployment rate in two years and below the average of the 1980s (7.3 percent) and '90s (5.8 percent), and still continues to drop.

[AreaMan]

The unemployment rate has dropped from around 6.4 percent less than a year ago to 5.6 percent.

An engineer who is 50 and was paid $60-90K/yr gets canned (because the company offshored his job to India or Philippines for $40k/year) now gets a job doing (you name it) for $45k/yr.

New jobs in (name the industry) are created but the pay is less than it was last year.

Has unemployment has gone down? Yes.

[A. Pole]

The unemployment rate has dropped from around 6.4 percent less than a year ago to 5.6 percent.

The point is that when experienced professionals or skilled manufacturing workers switch to the minimum wage jobs or drop out from the job market, it is not good. Even if the unemployment rate is low.

[templar]

The unemployment rate has dropped from around 6.4 percent less than a year ago to 5.6 percent.

They've changed the way they figure employment. Comparing figures is no longer a meaningful way to determine anything.