Unemployent Rate is 5.7%

The U.S. unemployment rate climbed to a four-year high of 5.7 percent in July as employers cut 51,000 jobs, dashing the hopes of an influx of young people looking for summer work.

Payroll cuts weren’t as deep as the 72,000 predicted by economists, however. And, job losses for both May and June were smaller than previously reported.

July’s reductions marked the seventh straight month where employers eliminated jobs. The economy has lost a total of 463,00 jobs so far this year.

Job losses in July were the heaviest in industries hard hit by the housing, credit and financial debacles. Job losses included:

• Manufacturing - 35,000
• Construction - 22,000
• Retailers - 17,000 jobs.
• Temporary help firms — also viewed as a barometer of demand for future hiring — 29,000 jobs.

Those losses swamped job gains elsewhere, including in the government, education and health care.

There were 8.8 million unemployed people in July, up from 7.1 million last year. The jobless rate last July stood at 4.7 percent.

Unemployment rate in U.S. is 5.7%

Top 10 Cities with the Most Singles

Here are the towns with the highest percentage of singles, with an over-30 scene.

1. Hoboken, NJ - 57.7%
2. Cambridge, MA - 52.4%
3. Somerville, MA - 51.4%
4. Berkeley, CA - 51.2%
5. Boston, MA - 50.3%
6. Burlington, VT - 50.0%
7. Washington, DC - 48.5%
8. Boulder, CO - 48.2%
9. North Druid Hills, GA - 47.6%
10. Hermosa Beach, CA - 47.2%


From the August 2008 issueSource: Census, OnBoard projections/aggregations

A New Book to Help You with Your Job Search

The job search process can be extremely intimidating, frustrating, full of anxiety, and depressing. The stress of suddenly losing your job (or of being in a job that you absolutely hate) makes the process even more difficult. Yet, the basic components of the job search process are really very simple. The Savvy Jobseeker's Guide & Workbook: Five Steps to a Simply Successful Job Search is a simple, job search strategy training resource that breaks the job search process down into five manageable steps:

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