How bad IS the economy?

Read all about it! "Historic: Kamala Harris Becomes First Black Woman To Destroy World Economy", Babylon Bee (who else?) 5/8/24.

BREAKING: In a surprise move (NOT!), Hock Ptui today announced her choice of running-mate -- 60-year-old Tim Walz, the Governor of Minnesotra and reincarnation of Hubert Humphrey. 

An arch-liberal (and not a Jew like that Shapiro guy), Mr Walz has helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including depolicing (post-George Floyd, you see), sweeping protections for abortion "rights", and yet more welfare and other benefits, particularly for bogus "refugees" and asylum-seekers. 

Walt can hardly wait to see a debate between this wokester and J.D. Vance!

Latest US employment report weak; some seasonal jobs still available

Breitbart News reports that the American economy added 210,00 jobs in November and the unemployment rate sank to 4.2 percent. This was a far weaker jobs report than expected. 

Economists had forecast 545,000 positions added to payrolls and an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent, according to Econoday. The unemployment rates for adult men and adult women declined to 4.0 percent. 

The white unemployment rate fell to 3.7 percent and the black unemployment rate fell to 6.7 percent. The Hispanic unemployment rate declined to 5.2 percent. There was little change in the unemployment rates for Asians, at 3.8 percent, or teenagers, at 11.2 percent. 

The labor force participation rate inched up to 61.8 percent in November but remains 1.5 percentage points lower than in February 2020. The employment-population ratio rose by 0.4 percentage point to 59.2 percent in November. This measure is up from its low of 51.3 percent in April 2020 but remains below the figure of 61.1 percent in February 2020. 

Surprisingly, employment in retail trade declined by 20,000 in November. General merchandise stores shed 20,000 jobs, clothing stores shrank employment by 18,000, and sporting goods, hobby, book, and music store employment declined by 9,000. That raises questions about the strength of retail going into the holiday Christmas season.

There are, however, a number of openings for seasonal help. See drawaing at left, which originally appeared in the January 1986 "Good Clean Sex...Again" issue of National Lampoon. Our kindly sponsor has one copy for sale, cheap, here.