In December 2007, the number of unemployed persons was 7.7 million and the unemployment rate was 5.0 percent. A year earlier, the number of unemployed persons was 6.8 million, and the jobless rate was 4.4 percent. This is according to data released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The labor force participation rate was 66.0 percent in December 2007 and was 0.4 percentage point lower than a year earlier.
The employment-population ratio was 62.7 percent in December 2007; it declined by 0.7 percentage point over the year.
The data in this report is from the Current Population Survey and is seasonally adjusted. For more information, see "The Employment Situation: December 2007," news release USDL 08-0013.
