A new report from the Department of Labor says that 85,000 jobs were lost in December, but the unemployment rate remained at 10%. Analysts say that the lack of an increase i the unemployment rate means that workers have given up looking for work. Construction and manufacturing had the biggest losses, but jobs in the temporary worker sector rose for the fifth month. The large job loss comes after 4,000 jobs were created in November, giving hope that the worst was over. Experts say that it will take time for there to be consistent growth of jobs.
See "U.S. Job Losses in December Dim Hopes for Quick Upswing", Peter S. Goodman and Javier C. Hernandez, The New York Times, January 7, 2010