The Obama administration emphasizes the positive -- that jobs are being saved and created (however slowly the pace). Critics and most Americans, however, see a still-dire employment picture. In this case, both sides are right. But Washington -- both Dems and the GOP -- clearly still has a lot of work to do to get Americans back on the job.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 17 of the next decade's 30 fastest-growing occupations are health-care-related. Even during the recession, health care added over 600,000 jobs. The next biggest gainer will be in renewable energy and environmental businesses. (With video.)
Desperate to help unemployed Americans find new jobs, the government has opened the funding spigot to boost programs at community colleges, career institutes and nonprofits. Billions of dollars in funding mean most courses can be taken for free.
Statistics show that workers 55 and older are the only age group to have experienced employment gains since March 2009. Surprisingly, they're the age group with the lowest rate of unemployment as the U.S. exits the Great Recession.
Serious Materials, which manufactures energy-efficient windows, has joined a small but growing movement in which shuttered Rust Belt factories are being reopened and retrofitted to produce products for the New Economy.
A year after the economy hit bottom, Americans may still be worried about jobs, but the trend is finally reversing as companies are starting to hire again, albeit in smaller numbers. While fundamental shifts in employment are undeniable, most hopeful is the March report showing employers added 162,000 jobs, the most in three years.