First and foremost, it is so hussein can try to get re-elected. That number is going to continue to go down as we approach the election - I don't care what reality is, I will guaran-damn-tee you that number will not go above 9% again, may even drop into the 7% range.
Second, how are they doing this? Well, they could just outright lie to us - and they are certainly not above that, they have and continue to on a number of topics. Here they can simply use statistics to lie to us. They can quite easily get the unemployment percentage to go down by removing people from the workforce. They justify this by saying that if someone hasn't actively looked for work in say 4 weeks, they are no longer part of the workforce. Now, put a bunch of people on long, long term unemployment benefits and they will simply not look for work. You can then reduce that number, and viola! Instant, false, and totally contrived reduction in unemployment. Oh, and for extra fun - paid for by you and me.
I think there is something more sinister going about...
This is nothing more than zer()'s election platform, of not just a do-nothing congress, but one that mucks things up. The numbers are artificially lowered with the removal of 1.2 million unemployed from the rolls. What he will have happen, now that he knows he can manipulate the #'s, and to what extent %-wise... he'll have the unemployment become "worse" as the election nears, and claim it's congress "mucking it up", after he got things so rosy in February.