Gallup Finds U.S. Unemployment Up Slightly In January To 9.8%

Gallup Finds U.S. Unemployment Up Slightly In January To 9.8% – Gallup

Unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, increased to 9.8% at the end of January — up from 9.6% at the end of December, but down from 10.9% a year ago.

The percentage of part-time workers who want full-time work improved slightly, to 9.1% of the workforce in January from 9.4% in December — similar to the 9.0% of January 2010.

Underemployment Essentially Unchanged in January

Underemployment — the combination of part-time workers wanting full-time work and Gallup’s U.S. unemployment rate — was 18.9% in January, essentially the same as the 19.0% of December. Underemployment now stands one percentage point below the 19.9% of a year ago.

The Real-Time Jobs Picture

Comparing Gallup’s unemployment and underemployment rates so far in 2011 with those for the same periods in 2010 provides something of a seasonally adjusted view of Gallup’s jobs data. Unemployment and underemployment are now at least one point below the rates of a year ago, reflecting modest improvement over the past year.

Still, Gallup’s measures paint a real-time picture of the current job realities on the ground: nearly 1 in 10 Americans in the U.S. workforce are unemployed, nearly one out of five are underemployed, and the nation’s overall hiring situation has not improved over the past four to six months.

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