Poll: Americans now most optimistic on jobs since 2008

New York – Americans are now more optimistic about finding work than at any time since before President Barack Obama took office, according to a new poll released today by Gallup.

The polling agency said public assessment of the job market had risen “markedly” this month with 19 percent believing that now is a good time to find a “quality job,” up from 13 percent in February, the highest level of optimism since September 2008.

More from GlobalPost: US consumer confidence jumps dramatically in February

Optimism still remains lower than the pre-recession high of 26 percent which was recorded in February 2008, according to Gallup, which said that currently 78 percent of Americans feel that now is a “bad time” to find a good job (also the lowest level since February 2008).

Though received cautiously by analysts, the US economy has since the end of 2011 posted a steady stream of positive results in major indices. New jobless claims dropped to a four-year-low at the end of February, a month when the economy added a quarter of a million jobs on top of a quarter of a million added in January.

More from GlobalPost: Peru, Latin America's hidden growth story

The Associated Press reported yesterday that fewer unemployment claims were lodged last week, matching a four-year low of 351,000 while inflation — with the notable exception of gasoline prices — remains “mild.”

Unemployment remains high, at 8.3 percent.