Morning Edition had a segment this morning interviewing David Wessel, the Wall Street Journal's economics editor, about the state of the economy. At one point Wessel told listeners that economists are hopeful that the December employment report, which will be released next month, will show that the economy added jobs in the month.
Actually, there is little reason for this hope. Weekly unemployment claims have averaged well over 460,000 in the four weeks between the November and December surveys. The economy generally will not be adding jobs if claims are over 400,000 per week. Given the current rate of unemployment claims, it is very unlikely that the economy actually added jobs in December.
There's too much at stake this November for us to quit. As we navigate another presidential election year, thoughtful independent journalism is more important than ever. We're committed to bringing you the latest news on what's really happening across the country this election season, shining a light on the stories corporate media overlooks and keeping the public informed about how power really works in America.
Quality reporting doesn't come for free, and we don't have corporate backers to rely on to fund our work. Everything we do is thanks to our incredible community of readers, who chip in a few dollars at a time to make what we do possible. This month, we're trying to raise $50,000 to help fuel our election coverage, and we've fallen behind on reaching our goal. Any amount you give today will bring us closer to making our reporting possible—and a generous donor has agreed to match all online donations, so your impact will be doubled.
