NEW YORK ( CNNMoney. com) — The U. S. economy lost 20,000 jobs in January, but the unemployment rate fell to 9.7%, much lower than economists' forecasts of 10%. According to a government report released Friday.
The Labor Department said the economy continued to shed (流出)jobs,even as economists surveyed by Briefing, com had expec-ted a net gain of 15,000 jobs in December.
The Labor Department also released an annual revision of U. S. payrolls (薪水账册)on Friday, using data that wasn't initially available. Losses for 2009 alone came to 4. 8 million jobs,more than 600,000 than previously estimated. The revision showed the economy has lost 8.4 million jobs since the start of the recession in December 2007 — 1.4 million more job losses than initially reported.
The payroll number for December was revised to a net loss of 150,000 jobs. The government had previously indicated that 85,000 jobs were lost in December.
But the government said the tepid job growth initially reported in November was actually much stronger than previously believed. Jobs rose by 64,000 in November,up from an initial estimate of 4,000. It is the only month in the past two years in which jobs grew.
Most of the job losses were in the hard-hit construction industry, which shed another 75, 000 jobs in January. The transportation and financial industries also lost in excess of 10,000 jobs,and the government shed a net 8,000 positions in January.
The job report wasn't all bad, as there was job growth in many areas, including the manufacturing industry, which created 11,000 jobs last month. The service industry was the biggest jobs creator, with a net gain of 48 ,000 jobs,42,100 of which came from the retail sector.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign from January's report was that 44, 000 jobs were created in the business services industry, which includes administrators and temporary workers. Economists see professional services as a proxy for overall economic activity, and many employers hire temporary workers before signing on new full-time staff.
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.Job Losses Continue but Rate Falls |
B.An Annual Revision of U. S. Payrolls |
C.The Encouraging Sign from January's Report |
D.The Tepid Job Growth Stronger than Previously Believed |
The underlined word "released" could be replaced by ______ .
A.made secret | B.made public |
C.set free | D.set forth |
Most of the job losses happened in the areas except ______ .
A.the hard-hit construction industry |
B.the government |
C.the transportation and financial industries |
D.the manufacturing industry |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The economy continued to shed jobs, just as economists surveyed had expected a net loss of 15,000 jobs in December. |
B.Losses for 2009 alone came to 4. 8 million jobs, less than 600,000 than previously estimated. |
C.The service industry was the biggest job creators, with a net gain of 48,000 jobs, of which 42,100 came from the retail sector. |
D.Economists see professional services as a proxy for overall economic activity, and many employers hire permanent workers. |