Better news on US jobs

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} While it might be premature to speak of a recovery, there are signs that job losses in the United States could be starting to bottom out.   The month of April saw the loss of 539,000 jobs, which in itself is not good news, but the figure is lower than the 600,000 expected by economists and fewer than the 699,000 jobs lost in March.   Nevertheless, the statistic pushed the US unemployment rate up to 8.9 percent, its highest level since 1983 and up from 8.5 percent in March, according to the Labor Department. Since December 2007, the US economy has lost 5.7 million jobs.   The latest data shows job losses across most sectors of the economy, although hiring picked up in education, health services and government.   ÔÇ£It's a terrible number but an improvement relative to the very terrible numbers we had before,ÔÇØ said Jay Mueller, senior portfolio manager at Wells Capital Management.   There have been other signs that the worst of the recession in the US may be over. Consumer spending, which plunged in the last half of 2008, grew in the first quarter of this year and some recent data on the housing market has been more upbeat.   The head of the US central bank, Ben Bernanke, has said he expects the recession to end this year unless there is a major financial setback.   *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *