According to official statistics, the number of jobs in the US decreased by 651 thousand in February and by 655 thousand in January. Previously, a figure of 598 thousand was cited for the first month of 2009. In December, according to revised data, the number of jobs decreased by 681 thousand, which is a record since October 1949.
Since December 2007, when the US officially entered a recession, the country has lost 4.4 million jobs. As Lenta.ru reports, citing Bloomberg, such massive layoffs are due to companies facing difficulties in raising funds, and a drop in demand led many of them to experience operating losses. The crisis is felt especially strongly in the financial sector, real estate, and the automotive industry.
Earlier it was reported that the US government is trying to counter the rise in unemployment by investing in infrastructure projects and the country's economy as a whole. If the program developed by officials works, 3.5 million new jobs could appear in the US.