On Friday, at 8:30 a.m., the Labor Department is scheduled to release its report on the nation’s hiring and unemployment for February. With the presidential candidates and economists arguing about whether the American economy is a resilient bright spot or in danger of falling into recession, the monthly jobs report is certain to be drawn into the debate.þþEven though the nation’s employers added only 151,000 jobs in January, the labor market in general has shown steady signs of improvement. Wall Street estimates that employers hired about 200,000 workers in February, with the jobless rate remaining unchanged at 4.9 percent. Economists will also be looking to see whether wages — which gained an impressive 0.5 percent in January — maintained their forward momentum.þ
Source: NY Times
