If people perceive that all-time high as 'normal,' that's going to make it very difficult to convince them that jobs are plentiful.
We went from adding zero to 50,000 jobs per month up to adding 300,000 jobs per month. Now we're going to adding 200,000 per month. Going from 300,000 to 200,000 means we've gone from a recovery to an expansion.
I think Katrina's put the kibosh on this whole thing. You're going to lose so many jobs. It's going to take time to get this all back up.
I think Katrina's put the kibosh on this whole thing, ... You're going to lose so many jobs. It's going to take time to get this all back up.
Today's labor market does not fit the mold of the old models. The economy has recovered, and many of the old jobs are gone.
Increased domestic demand is now being satisfied by supply from abroad. Fewer domestic jobs have been created than the average historical experience and predicted by the models used by policy makers.
Firms can't afford to offer much, and workers don't want to threaten to leave because of the job situation.
Job gains were clearly below expectations and trend. There may be some bounce back next month in specific sectors. Slower job gains may also reflect the impact of higher oil prices and uncertainty in the spring.
They (the Fed governors) are going to follow the jobs report. They're not going to be proactive. They're going to be reactive to the data,