美國一月就業大增，失業率下跌
The U.S. says its labor market surged last month, with nearly a quarter million workers added to company payrolls, and that its unemployment rate fell ((two tenths of a percentage point)) to 8.3 percent, the lowest in almost three years.
In its closely watched monthly report, the government said Friday that 243,000 jobs were added to the economy, a month after the world's largest economy recorded 200,000 new jobs. The January figure -- the biggest addition in nine months -- substantially exceeded the early estimates of economists. Analysts said the report signaled that the sluggish U.S. economic recovery might be advancing at a faster pace than first thought.
Investors seemed heartened by the favorable news, boosting major U.S. stock indexes by more than one percent in early New York trading.
The jobs report and the jobless rate have perhaps become the two most important barometers of the sluggishly advancing American economy. Central bank chief Ben Bernanke said this week that the recovery from the nation's 2007 to 2009 recession, its worst economic downturn in seven decades, has been been "frustratingly slow" and is likely to advance by no more than 2.7 percent this year.
But the January jobs report -- and the unexpected drop in the jobless rate from December's 8.5 percent figure -- could boost the re-election prospects for U.S. President Barack Obama, a Democrat seeking a second four-year term in the national election next November. The two leading contenders seeking the Republican nomination to oppose him -- one-time venture capitalist Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich -- have regularly unleashed verbal assaults on the president's handling of the economy, calling for less government regulation of American corporations as a way to boost the country's economic fortunes.美國政府報告說，上個月美國的就業數量激增，接近25萬人。上個月的失業率也因此下跌至8.3%， 爲近3年以來的最低水平。
美國勞工部週五公佈了1月份的就業報告。報告顯示，一月份新增加工作24.3萬個。去年12月的數字是20萬。一月份的數字爲九個月來最高的，大大地超過了經濟學家先前的預期。
分析人士說，報告預示美國緩慢的經濟復甦的步伐可能要比先前預想的要快。
就業報告和失業率也許已經成爲衡量目前正在緩慢前進的美國經濟的兩個最重要的晴雨表。美聯儲主席伯南克這個星期說，美國從2007年到2009年的經濟衰退中復甦的步伐“慢得令人沮喪”，並且表示今年的增長率很可能低於2.7%。
這次衰退是美國70年來最嚴重的經濟衰退。
但是，一月份的就業報告以及失業率出人意料的下降也可能增加了總統奧巴馬獲得連任的機會。身爲民主黨人的奧巴馬在今年11月的大選中尋求第二個四年任期。
爭奪共和黨總統候選人提名的兩位主要競爭者，風險投資家羅姆尼和前衆議院議長金裏奇經常對總統的經濟政策進行口頭上的抨擊，並要求減少政府對企業的監管，刺激美國經濟增長。
