Dr. Roberts is correct on this point, as you might imagine, since he is an honest observer. (Although I find that his excoriation of President Bush is far too personally harsh.)
However, on a positive note, the current trend in private employment is indeed upward, and we can all hope that it soon does cross both the numbers from its peak in 2000 and, even better, it also catches up for five years of population growth.
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Series Id: CES0500000001 |
|||||||||||||
Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | 96980 | 97181 | 97381 | 97537 | 97544 | 97744 | 97823 | 98109 | 98347 | 98462 | 98607 | 98744 | |
1996 | 98742 | 99142 | 99350 | 99532 | 99847 | 100119 | 100328 | 100574 | 100729 | 100980 | 101261 | 101432 | |
1997 | 101639 | 101928 | 102235 | 102531 | 102795 | 102982 | 103232 | 103294 | 103738 | 104018 | 104302 | 104595 | |
1998 | 104859 | 105028 | 105170 | 105424 | 105766 | 105967 | 106037 | 106363 | 106558 | 106734 | 106976 | 107285 | |
1999 | 107393 | 107729 | 107829 | 108142 | 108364 | 108578 | 108806 | 108963 | 109121 | 109490 | 109746 | 109996 | |
2000 | 110210 | 110302 | 110644 | 110860 | 110735 | 110952 | 111148 | 111167 | 111387 | 111367 | 111566 | 111680 | |
2001 | 111622 | 111644 | 111565 | 111219 | 111156 | 110916 | 110763 | 110579 | 110301 | 109896 | 109551 | 109352 | |
2002 | 109206 | 109077 | 109003 | 108887 | 108790 | 108831 | 108765 | 108724 | 108693 | 108735 | 108733 | 108559 | |
2003 | 108614 | 108492 | 108296 | 108258 | 108252 | 108250 | 108250 | 108279 | 108432 | 108525 | 108617 | 108701 | |
2004 | 108839 | 108915 | 109204 | 109516 | 109787 | 109908 | 109976 | 110105 | 110203 | 110462 | 110588 | 110728(p) | |
2005 | 110862(p) | ||||||||||||
p : preliminary |
Series Id: CES9000000001 |
|||||||||||||
Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | 19397 | 19407 | 19427 | 19434 | 19418 | 19445 | 19437 | 19429 | 19430 | 19464 | 19463 | 19466 | |
1996 | 19450 | 19485 | 19532 | 19515 | 19529 | 19528 | 19547 | 19504 | 19567 | 19554 | 19565 | 19571 | |
1997 | 19593 | 19598 | 19608 | 19603 | 19601 | 19660 | 19686 | 19617 | 19679 | 19738 | 19761 | 19766 | |
1998 | 19770 | 19786 | 19792 | 19816 | 19875 | 19879 | 19930 | 19959 | 19985 | 20001 | 20044 | 20079 | |
1999 | 20084 | 20144 | 20168 | 20237 | 20229 | 20272 | 20339 | 20375 | 20404 | 20457 | 20496 | 20540 | |
2000 | 20571 | 20599 | 20733 | 20802 | 21147 | 20887 | 20867 | 20837 | 20735 | 20743 | 20760 | 20804 | |
2001 | 20832 | 20902 | 20946 | 20995 | 21031 | 21113 | 21178 | 21224 | 21248 | 21276 | 21328 | 21353 | |
2002 | 21375 | 21401 | 21438 | 21448 | 21536 | 21546 | 21512 | 21571 | 21557 | 21574 | 21582 | 21602 | |
2003 | 21633 | 21633 | 21611 | 21595 | 21575 | 21604 | 21607 | 21580 | 21521 | 21551 | 21555 | 21554 | |
2004 | 21533 | 21551 | 21582 | 21607 | 21586 | 21571 | 21586 | 21645 | 21677 | 21700 | 21706 | 21699(p) | |
2005 | 21711(p) | ||||||||||||
p : preliminary |
Would you like fries with those charts?