Temp Empl Svcs -28,000
Jobs Gained, February 2008Prof. & Bus. Svcs +26,000
Health Care +36,000
Food Services +12,000
Anyway that I look at it, the number of jobs lost is 123,000! If you subtract the number of jobs 'gained' 74,000)((in lower paying service industries for the most part), the final tally of employment lost is 49,000 jobs. If you put it in dollar figures, however, I expect the losses outweigh the gains at least 3 to one.
So, there is the first conundrum. When you read that 63K jobs are lost, then add and get 123K jobs actually lost, you begin to wonder. Subtracting the lesser paying (for the most part) jobs gained doesn't give a comparative number either.
Now, it is true that the report out on Friday was a synopsis – with preliminary numbers. The full report won't be public until April 4th and will give more specificity to the vague job losses mentioned and not counted here, like: giving some job gains in 2007 monthly averages and giving whole 2007 yearly numbers for the financial/credit industriesGovernment will always present the numbers to its advantage. It is, after all, selling something. With that in mind, look at all government (and everybody else's) numbers with a jaundiced eye and even if you are simple, like me, try to check it out yourself. If it doesn't seem to make sense, trust your instincts. Personally, I think they are gilding the lily!
Considering these are the things they are telling us, in some fashion at least – I am really, really worried about what they are not telling us.......
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