Washington, D.C.—Today, Heather Boushey, Senior Economist at the Center for American Progress, had the following reaction to the announcement of February’s unemployment figures:
It’s clear that our economy is now adding jobs at a steady pace with 245,000 jobs added on average over the past three months. In February, the unemployment rate held steady at 8.3 percent.
Manufacturing continues to be a bright spot in the economy, with 31,000 new jobs added last month. Durable goods manufacturing has added nearly 450,000 jobs in the past two years.
These sustained job gains are a testament to the success of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — gains that would have been much stronger had conservatives not blocked efforts to invest in much-needed infrastructure and if state and local governments had not been hemorrhaging workers, shedding over 647,000 since August 2008.
Make no mistake, an 8.3 percent unemployment rate is unacceptable. We need Congress to act now to help the current economic recovery gain pace so that more Americans can find the jobs they need.
To speak to Boushey about the monthly jobs report, contact Katie Peters at [email protected] or 202.741.6285.
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