US jobless rate down to 9.7 per cent in January

The US unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage point to 9.7 per cent in January from 10 per cent, while the non-farm payroll employment was essentially unchanged at -20,000, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported yesterday.

Job losses continued in construction and in transportation and warehousing, while employment increased in temporary help services and retail trade.

Since the start of the recession in December 2007, payroll employment has fallen by 8.4 million.

In January, unemployment rates for most major worker groups - adult men (10 per cent), teenagers (26.4 per cent), blacks (16.5 per cent), and Hispanics (12.6 per cent) - showed little change.

The jobless rate for adult women fell to 7.9 per cent, and the rate for whites declined to 8.7 per cent.

The jobless rate for Asians was 8.4 per cent, not seasonally adjusted.