Unemployment Remains at 9.1 Percent in Worst Showing in a Year

This president sucks.

Earlier job numbers were revised downward as well.

At London's Daily Mail, "Unemployment remains 9.1 per cent as job growth grinds to a halt and markets tumble."

And at Los Angeles Times, "No new jobs added in August as unemployment rate holds at 9.1%":

The Labor Department's monthly report is the worst showing in a year and offers stark evidence that hiring has stalled. About 14 million people were officially unemployed in August, and many of those who do have jobs saw their weekly hours trimmed.

Reporting from Washington— The U.S. economy added no new jobs in August — the worst showing in a year — as employers cut back hiring and trimmed work hours of existing employees.

The latest snapshot of the labor market provided stark evidence that hiring has stalled and that the feeble economic recovery remains threatened by the unusually deep and prolonged challenges facing American workers.

Friday's report from the Labor Department intensifies the pressure on President Obama to propose a robust jobs plan when he addresses the nation next week, and could also push the Federal Reserve to take further action on interest-rate and other monetary policies when it meets later this month.

The nation's unemployment rate in August stayed at 9.1%, as more people reported that they found part-time work, many of them because that's all that was available.

About 14 million people were officially unemployed last month. About 6 million of them, or nearly 43% of the unemployed, have been without work for six months or longer. Short term, many of them face the loss of extended jobless benefits. Longer term, they face increasing risks of losing skills and hopes of getting re-employed.

The report had discouraging news for current workers as well. The government said private employers in August trimmed by a notch the average work hours of all employees, to 34.2 hours. The average hourly earnings for workers, meanwhile, dropped 3 cents to $23.09 last month.

Lots of commentary at Memeorandum.