Private employers shows they shed 23,000 jobs in March ~  

It is getting bad. MI is about 20% and i don't a break soon.

I don't expect unemployment to sky rocket, but at the same time, I don't expect much job growth either. I have a feeling this unemployment number in the 9.7% area will continue for months to come. I don't think the money we've spent for "jobs" is doing what it was suppose to do.

According to an article in the Christian Science Monitor, the Labor Department reported net job gains of 162,000 jobs...some temporary due to the Census as you said...but in other areas as well. There were 15,000 in construction, 17,000 in manufacturing, 11,000 in professional and business services, and 45,000 in healthcare and education, among other categories. From a historical basis, the gains in the manufacturing sector are important. So, no, I don't expect unemployment to skyrocket...I believe that we have turned a corner and that the upward trend will continue. :

http://www.csmonitor.com/...

No, I don't expect unemployment to skyrocket, I'm cautiously optimistic that it has peaked. As my friend Spall pointed out there was also an increase in hiring in non-government jobs. Manufacturing and the health care field are two areas in which there were gains. Another thing about that stubborn 9.7% rate - there are some people who had given up searching for work who are now back at it so that will keep the rate from dropping as quickly as it could. Unemployment is usually the last thing to show a significant improvement in an economic recovery. Don't forget that in December of 2008 there were over 700,000 jobs lost and whether the right wants to admit it or not, that's been improving ever since President Obama took office. Hopefully, consumer confidence will improve as the economy continues to grow which will in turn spur more growth and create more jobs. I know the right will do their best to talk the recovery down for purely political reasons but here's hoping they fail in that endeavor!

Annie