January unemployment rate drops to 9.7 percent

You may ask how can this be given the graphic below. Simple, a huge number of unemployed have quit looking therefor they are inexplicably removed from the rolls of the unemployed. In actuality the unemployment rate in this country is closer to 17%.

Table A. Revisions in total nonfarm employment, January-December 2009,
seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)
_______________________________________________________________________
| |
| Level | Over-the-month change
|---------------------|---------------------------------
Year and month| As | | As | |
|previously| As |previously| As | Difference
|published | revised |published | revised |
_______________|__________|__________|__________|__________|___________
| | | | |
2009 | | | | |
January........| 134,333 | 133,549 | -741 | -779 | -38
February.......| 133,652 | 132,823 | -681 | -726 | -45
March..........| 133,000 | 132,070 | -652 | -753 | -101
April..........| 132,481 | 131,488 | -519 | -582 | -63
May............| 132,178 | 131,141 | -303 | -347 | -44
June...........| 131,715 | 130,637 | -463 | -504 | -41
July...........| 131,411 | 130,293 | -304 | -344 | -40
August.........| 131,257 | 130,082 | -154 | -211 | -57
September......| 131,118 | 129,857 | -139 | -225 | -86
October........| 130,991 | 129,633 | -127 | -224 | -97
November.......| 130,995 | 129,697 | 4 | 64 | 60
December (p)...| 130,910 | 129,547 | -85 | -150 | -65
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