It comes as slightly absurd that the same people who spent the last year blasting the president for poor jobs numbers don’t give him credit when they are good. Instead, they honed in on what they said was the inaccuracy of the report, bringing up conspiracy theories of election-time politics. The reality is the numbers are always a short-term snapshot of the economy and are not completely reliable. In addition, the president does not have that much control over the jobs numbers, when it’s good OR bad. The unemployment rate will, regardless of who’s in charge, continue to slowly drop as the economy improves. Considering those factors, it seems unwise to base one’s presidential vote solely on them.

The release of the September jobs report is giving both President Obama and Mitt Romney a chance to bolster their campaign arguments. The Department of Labor reports the nation’s jobless rate fell to 7.8 percent last month, slipping below eight percent for the first time since January 2009, the month President Obama was inaugurated. The rate dropped from 8.1 percent in August because the number of people who said they were employed jumped by 873,000. The government also says employers added 114,000 jobs in September.

Speaking to a crowd in Fairfax, Virginia today, President Obama called the September numbers a sign the economy is “moving forward again.” He said the report shows the country has made too much progress to turn back to the policies he says led the nation into an economic crisis in the first place. But Romney is interpreting the report differently. He says more than 12 million Americans are still out of work, and a 7.8 percent unemployment rate is “not what real recovery looks like.” What do you say?

Are you encouraged by the September jobs report? What impact do you think it will have on the presidential election, and the next debate? Have you or has anyone you know found work in the last month?

Reply with your thoughts using the link above.

First of all I don't believe in this drop in unemployment at all. This is not a recovery by any means at all.

My question is just what do the Senators in New York State do for us? There agenda is to just fill their pockets. Once in a while and always Sunday does one appear to spew some sort of bunk to act as though he is taking charge. The Senators are so full of it and quite frankly am getting sick and tired of looking at them.

The worst one was Clinton. We are left in the lurch over and over again.
We had in the Bronx only along Bruckner Blvd. numerous companies and we never had to even leave the borough at all we had everything here.

WHERE ARE ALL OF THESE COMPANIES AND JOBS THAT WE HAD.
HOW MANY DID WE LOSE ONLY WHEN CLINTON WAS HERE AND SHE GETS NOTHING BUT PRAISE.

WHAT'S THE USE TO KEEP GOING ON AND ON ABOUT IT. THEY, MEANING ALL OF THESE POLITICIANS HAVE THEIR JOBS AND CONNECTIONS AND SO BE IT. THE HELL WITH US.
Then we have this governor that's running his own show with a yogurt company now. I would like to know just what kind of tax break they got. This employer was not brought here so that we can have jobs and that would mean a benefit for us citizens of New York but this is just another legacy that this governor is gathering for when he finally makes his exit. Bloomberg is doing the same.
It's all becoming very sickening.

THEY ALL JUST KEEP DREAMING UP THEIR OWN PROJECTS AND WHATEVER THEY ARE WE NEVER HAVE A SAY IN ANYTHING AND ALL OF THESE DUMB IDEAS COST SO MUCH MONEY.

THE LOCAL POLITICIANS IN THE BOROUGHS HAVE JUST TO MUCH MONEY AND POWER AT THEIR FINGERTIPS AND THEY JUST HAVE CONVENIENCES FOR A CERTAIN FEW.
WHERE DOES ALL OF THIS END. IT'S LIKE WE ARE ACTUALLY LIVING IN TWO LOCALLY.

Maxxiee
Morris Park

There are lies, damn lies and statistics. You can't trust government statistics in general. This is especially true in recent times. For example, there are the employed, the unemployed and the so-called under-employed. To which group does the latter belong? Add it to either and you get vastly different statistics.

Joe
Port Richmond

Too many people I know are still out of work. Perhaps in certain States, it has improved but has it improved in NYC? I can't see it. With gasoline over $4.00 a gallon and food prices increasing daily, how can anyone maintain their living arrangements, without a job? It's impossible.

Jessica
Arden Heights

The latest statistics about the nation's unemployment situation indicates that there has been a slight drop in the unemployment rate from 8.2 percent to 7.8 percent-but does that mean that our economy is really begining its long climb out of the very deep recession that has gripped our country for the last 4 years? While this latest news from the Labor Department may be somewhat encouraging, the reality is that even with 116,000 new jobs created this past September,there are still way too many Americans out of work. The reason that the unemployment rate dropped this past month also is due to the fact that many people who are unemployed have stopped looking for work just due to to the frustration of not being able to find any type of job.It would be interesting to know how many jobs were lost during the same period of those 116,000 created jobs. I bet that the number of jobs lost would be 2 or 3 times the amount of newly created jobs,or even much more. The Labor Department does not release that type of data,and they should. Mitt Romney said that the reason that the unemployment rate has dropped is due to the fact that many people have stopped looking for work. He is absolutely correct. President Obama cannot deny that very important fact,and neither can Congress.

John
Fresh Meadows

This is an issue that I really cannot be partisan about, since I know of at least 800 + former co-workers of mine are still looking for work. We were fired by the state in December 2010, and we had our unemployment extension cut from 20 weeks to 6 weeks by the Federal government back in July. Many people were forced to seek other forms of aid, or faced eviction and worse. Magically the extension was reinstated in the beginning of September, which makes me think they were trying to fudge the unemployment numbers and keep that money in the plus column when the fiscal year ended in July.

As for the numbers, no that are not very encouraging. I got lucky and found a decent paying job (a little less than half my previous salary), that also provides health benefits. I am only 38 though, and many of my former co-workers were in their mid to late fifties, had been at that job for 30 years, and have no other skill set. Due to the fact our agency went bankrupt and we were juggled between the City and State, even those collecting a pension now have no health benefits. These people will find it difficult to impossible to find another job, and most stopped looking. And as much blame as the President gets, Cuomo has done zero to develop jobs in New York along with eviler half Bloomberg. Unemployment in the Bronx is probably around 25% unofficially, and they wonder why crime is through the roof.

RL
The Bronx

I don't believe the report that jobs are recovering ...my nephew & fellow employees were laid off yesterday. He was on the job 3 years & before he got that job he was unemployed for 9 months.

He is a computer emngineer--50 years old-3 children -house ,mtg. etc.The past four years have taken its toll on the economy-job loss-high gas prices-(I spent $70.00 on gas in 15 days.} The report won't change my mind this election day-TIME FOR A CHANGE.

Elizabeth
Long Island City

What about employment numbers being manipulated by Big Business Republican supporters to make Obama look bad? That 8% percentile hung around way too long for me.

Jimmy
The Bronx

I know what Obama is doing to create jobs. What is Romney's plan? Inquiring minds want to know

I disagree 100% with those figures unemployment is not at 8% like they say it is , they get those figures according to the people who are NOT longer collecting unemployment, how about those people whose unemployment ran out months ago and still out of work, who's counting them? no one. hello???

I love watching your station.

I recently moved to NYC from TN.

I am not a US citizen, however I am a permanent resident. I have my AS in Law Enforcement and my BS in Criminal Justice. I moved to US when I was 16 yrs old. I owned 2 small businesses in TN and employed 4 people.

Obama said everyone in this Country has a fair chance, but honestly they don't.

My chance to use my degree is ruined thanks to an error that Department of Homeland Security marked on my record.

I might not be an American Citizen yet, but I am an American by heart and that is something no one can take away from me.

Obama made to many promises he couldn't keep and especially when it came to Immigration reform.

Ed
Harlem

To the woman before Sonia for example: Sonia, we can hear in your voice that you are not 20 years old. There are few jobs for you in NYC. Believe me, I'm in the same boat. Instead of blaming that on the President, you need to look at your billionaire, republican/democrat/independent fence sitting mayor. He's more interested in spending our tax dollars paint for bike lanes and LOOK signs to teach tourists how to cross a street than he is in making sure his "subjects" are treated fairly and are hired according to their skills, not their age and family wealth.

Nancy
Hell's Kitchen

The problem we have is not they is no job. The problem we have is that people unemployed makes more money then people working. So people think that by staying home ill make more money then waking up to go to work. So don't blame the system blame your self for not getting in up and help the system. I lost my job 3 times in the pass 4 years but I found a job with in 2 weeks the must. They are jobs out there but am I to comfortable to go get it.but we always have an excuse.

Just want to respond to one of the Brenda from Raleigh, NC's questions earlier:

I think it is insensitive to criticize people for prioritizing their jobs (or lack-thereof) over other political issues when their livelihoods depend on that very exact issue. Also, I would like to point out to those who feel encouraged by the 7.8% U-3 rate, that a key piece of information not being discussed that cannot be ignored, The broader U-6 rate — which takes into account part-time workers who want full-time work and lots of discouraged workers who’ve given up looking — stayed unchanged at 14.7%. The overall labor force PARTICIPATION had declined. If that rate was the same as when President Obama took office, the unemployment rate would be 10.7%.

Janet

Obama inherited a bad situation and without him our country would have been in a worse place. There are valid criticisms of the pace of job growth and the quality of some of the jobs being created (some with less pay and little to no benefits), but there has been significant growth and improvement. This also is not the time to gouge the social safety net that many of the callers who support him would lose, like unemployment insurance, food stamps and medicaid that keeps them afloat.

Al
Gramercy Park

People will be more upset when Romney sends even more jobs overseas!!! He'll implement the Bush/Cheney agenda back and these people who are calling and are really angry will be really sorry.

It amazes me that we live in a society today where people are being deprived of earning a living because of their non-compete agreement that states that a company has the right to fire an employee because they are considered at will and they can't work for a company that has a competing product for 2 years. The courts enforce this and people like me have to pay over $10,000 to fight this but will probably lose yet the government and Romney and the President have turned their back on the American people by allowing this to happen. I will not take part and vote in any more elections because of this. If our government can turn their backs on people like me, then I will turn my back on them.

Ron

It doesnt matter which party you like or support, the unemployment rate is going down and that's something that's encouraging and it shows the economy is growing.

Ammara
Midwood