Council of Economic Advisers Blog

The Employment Situation in February

Today’s employment report shows that private sector payrolls increased by 222,000 in February, marking 12 consecutive months of growth that has added 1.5 million jobs at private firms. The unemployment rate fell for the third straight month to 8.9 percent. The 0.9 percentage point drop in the unemployment rate over the past three months is the largest such decline since 1983, and it has been driven primarily by increased employment, rather than falling labor force participation.

Though unemployment remains elevated, we are seeing signs that the initiatives put in place by this Administration – such as the payroll tax cut and business tax incentives for investment – are creating the conditions for sustained growth and job creation. The steep decline in the unemployment rate and the overall trend of economic data in recent months has been encouraging, but there is still considerable work to do to replace the jobs lost in the downturn. We will continue to work with Congress to find ways to reduce spending, but not at the expense of derailing progress in the job market, making the investments we need to educate our workers, investing in science, and building the infrastructure our companies need to succeed. 

In addition to the increases last month, the estimates of private sector job growth for December (now +167,000) and January (now +68,000) were revised up. Overall payroll employment rose by 192,000 last month. The sectors with the largest payroll employment growth were professional and business services (+47,000), education and health services (+40,000), manufacturing (+33,000), and construction (+33,000). State and local government experienced a large decline (-30,000), and has shed jobs in 14 of the past 16 months.

The overall trajectory of the economy has improved dramatically over the past two years, but there will surely be bumps in the road ahead.  The monthly employment and unemployment numbers are volatile and employment estimates are subject to substantial revision.  Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report. 

Austan Goolsbee is Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers

Advance Estimate of GDP for the Fourth Quarter of 2010

Today’s report shows that the growth rate of the economy continued to increase in the final quarter of 2010, a further sign that the economy continues to gain momentum as it recovers from the worst recession since the Great Depression. Real GDP, the total amount of goods and services produced in the country, grew at a 3.2 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter of last year, the sixth straight quarter of positive growth.  For 2010 as a whole, GDP rose 2.9 percent, the fastest since 2005 and a dramatic reversal compared with the -2.6 percent rate in 2009. Private forecasters have predicted that the tax cut package signed by the President in December will have a significant impact on economic growth this year. We are on the right path, but have a lot more work to do to accelerate growth so that we are creating the jobs we need.

Some key components of GDP continued to expand in the fourth quarter, including exports (8.5 percent), consumer spending (4.4 percent), equipment and software investment (5.8 percent), and residential spending (3.4 percent). Government spending fell 0.6 percent. Consumption and net exports made the largest positive contributions to growth this quarter, while the decline in inventory investment subtracted substantially from GDP growth.

The overall trend of economic data over the past several months has been encouraging. The measures we worked with Congress to pass last month that continue tax cuts for the middle class and extend unemployment insurance are important for strengthening the recovery in 2011 and putting more money in the pockets of American families. The incentives for business investment will further boost the economy. The Administration will continue to focus on actions that the President has recommended to increase growth and job creation, such as providing incentives to encourage businesses to invest and hire here at home, investing in education and infrastructure, and promoting exports abroad.