I've been keeping track of monthly unemployment news since 2008, and this month I have the least to say. The latest numbers are in and little has changed from last month, despite some concern that the East Coast's various snow events could throw the numbers off: After losing 36,000 jobs in February, unemployment remains at 9.7 percent, with the more important U-6 measure -- total unemployed, plus people who have stopped looking for work, plus people who have lost hours thanks to the economy -- having increased slightly to 16.8 percent. At the White House, top economist Christina Romer would like you to notice that "the number of workers unemployed for more than 26 weeks fell by 180,000, the first decline in over a year."All in all, a little better than expected. In the absence of the snowstorm, we would have likely seen a small uptick in jobs. That said, there's no sign of a major labor-market growth in the coming months, and economists forecast unemployment remaining at this level throughout the year.
-- Tim Fernholz
