Special Report: Global Financial
Crisis
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. unemployment rate rose to
7.2 percent in December, the highest level in 15 years, as 524,000 jobs were
slashed in the month, the Labor Department reported Friday.
Total non-farm payroll employment fell by 524,000
over the month, bringing total job losses in 2008 to 2.6 million, and by 1.9
million over the past four months, said the report, adding that the unemployment
rate for December was the highest since January 1993.
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Photo taken on Dec. 25, 2008 shows an
unlicensed vendor selling bags on a street in New York, the United States.
The unemployment rate of the United States reached 7.2 percent in
December, 2008, a nearly 16-year high, as non-agricultural employers
slashed 524,000 jobs, bringing the job losses in 2008 to 2.6 million, the
Labor Department said Friday. (Xinhua Photo)
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Employment in nearly all major industry sectors
dropped over the last four-month period of 2008.
The manufacturing sector has lost 791,000 jobs since
the start of the recession in December 2007, the report said.
The largest declines over the month occurred in
fabricated metals and in motor vehicles with 28,000 and 21,000 job losses
respectively.
In December, construction employment dropped by
101,000, the services sector lost 81,000 jobs, while employment in retail and
wholesale trade fell by 67,000 and 30,000 separately.
Employment in health care increased by 32,000 over
the last month and added a total of 372,000 jobs in 2008, the report said,
noting that it was the only major private industry sector that continued to add
a significant number of jobs.
Boeing announces major layoff in
commercial airplanes unit
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. aerospace giant Boeing said Friday it will
cut off about 4,500 jobs in its commercial airplanes business unit as part of an
effort to control costs amid the weakening global economy.
Much of the major layoff will be in areas not directly
related to airplane production, the company said.
