but the unemployment rate went up this month primarily because 550,000 people entered (or re-entered) the labor force (the labor force is the denominator in the unemployment rate calculation). According to the Household Survey (which is where the unemployment rate comes from), we created 290,000 jobs in August. The real problem facing the economy is that so many people had dropped out of the labor force that as they re-enter it is going to keep pressure on the unemployment rate even in the face of strong job creation numbers (the Household Survey has shown the creation of almost 1.5 million jobs this year).

Hey, the numbers are pure fiction.
One thing is for certain, actual unemployment is at leat twice the stated rate as shown by U6 but that is the best light that can shine on them.
Seems to me you should be able to compare payroll contributions SSN’s against all work eligible SSN’s and the diffeence is your number of unemployed.
Another method would just be to look at the federal payroll tax withholding each month, a simple and relevant figure.
As it is, they stir these numbers up in a big pot and season for effect.
I look forward to another two months of modest but improving numbers leading into the election, and after that it will plummet because of course it will be the fault of the GOP controlled Congress…
Obama needs the Republicans to take over.. because he has nobody to blame.

The net loss of jobs and increase in unemployment tell only part of the grim story.

Temporary census worker jobs may have gone away last month, but the number of part-time workers ballooned by 730,000 during August. Over 300,000 of them forced into part-time work by economic conditions.

It’s a good thing we got some nifty turtle bridges out of Obama’s Porkulus so we have something to show for that $900B.

is another data point that tells us employment numbers are being cooked, enron style.