July jobs report: Unemployment increased to 8.3 percent
Applicants wait to enter a job fair on June 11, 2012 in New York City.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that private employers added 163,000 jobs in July and the unemplyment rate increased from 8.2 percent to 8.3 percent.
According to the bureau's household survey data, the number of unemployed people is 12.8 million.
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, on his campaign website, called the increase in the unemployment rate "a hammer blow to struggling middle-class families."
President Barack Obama is expected to talk about the new jobs numbers today at a White House event on middle-class tax cuts.
The New York Times noted yesterday that July job numbers should be met with skepticism. "In the last 10 July jobs reports, dating back to 2002, the agency has added an average of 1.33 million jobs to its original estimate," Binyamin Appelbaum wrote.
Here's a quick look by the BBC at America's unemployment situation.
Without federal support, local stations, especially in rural and underserved areas, face deep cuts or even closure. Vital public service alerts, news, storytelling, and programming like The World will be impacted. The World has weathered many storms, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to being your trusted source for human-centered international news, shared with integrity and care. We believe public media is about truth and access for all. As an independent, nonprofit newsroom, we aren’t controlled by billionaire owners or corporations. We are sustained by listeners like you.
Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World.