A Global Look at Unemployment

Chart of the Week for December 6-12, 2002

U.S. unemployment rose more than expected in November. However, a quick look at recent international unemployment figures indicates labor conditions here at home generally compare favorably to those abroad. A global slowdown in manufacturing is weighing on employment, leaving consumers to shoulder much of the burden of sustaining economic growth. The reemergence of business investment in the U.S. would go a long way to not only shore up our own economy, but those of other countries as well.

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