So the new unemployment numbers come out tomorrow...

[zoidberg]

Anybody want to make a prediction? News stories and anecdotal information seem to be mixed over the past month. GDP has been growing faster than expected, the markets are up, and the dollar is stronger based on perseptions of economic strength compared to Europe and Japan. But there seems to be no sign of change with the exodus of manufacturing jobs and nothing new seems to be popping up to take their place. I'd predict the unemployment rate to remain the same, with a slight increase in both the labor force and the number of employed people.

[CMT]

1. jobless claims have been up the past two weeks

as more people are now looking for work (becuz of the "upbeat" economic news) I think there will be no change--still 6.2%.

[HFishbine]

2. Huge layoffs in textiles

6.6%

[MUAD_DIB]

3. I'll put a dollar on it

going back up.

[phillybri]

4. It will tick up....

...to 6.4% or 6.5%. Bank on it. I'm a financial advisor w/ Morgan Stanley and everything I've read is pointing toward a slight uptick.

[LittleApple81]

5. If you listened to Franken in Fresh Air yesterday

He said that if you put Bush senior's and Bush*'s presidencies back to back, they had the record or NOT producing one NET job gain (not even one job!). He then had a wonderful line: If the had been presidents since the beginning of the country, no American would be working now.