What do you think was the job growth in December ?

[Tender Branson]

A projected 140,000 gain in December payrolls is the median forecast of 61 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News before the Jan. 7 report from the Labor Department. The unemployment rate may have eased to 9.7 percent from 9.8 percent. Other reports may show faster growth at the nation’s factories and service industries last month.

Bigger employment and income gains may help boost sales at companies like Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., allowing the expansion to become well-rooted. Even with the labor market improvement in 2010, it will take years to make up for the 8.4 million jobs lost during the 18-month recession that ended in June 2009.

“Things are improving but it’s a gradual momentum that’s building,” said Michelle Meyer, a senior economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research in New York. “It all comes back to the labor market and so far the jobs recovery has been disappointing.”

Estimates for the increase in December payrolls ranged from 95,000 to 215,000 after a 39,000 rise a month earlier and a 172,000 gain in October.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-02/employment-probably-rose-bringing-2010-u-s-job-gains-to-about-1-million.html

[Tender Branson]

I think +182.000 will be the figure.

[phk]

It will depend on how retail sales figured post-Black Friday.

[opebo]

Whoever voted 'job loss', don't you think that's a bit silly?  You can be a gloom and doomer without being blatantly unrealistic.  (after all, even if its the bright-side 180,000 or so, that's still pretty miserable).

If you voted job loss, I think you should explain, as the original poster requests.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I'm cautiously optimistic, and lowering my expectations due to a lot of other prior months underachieving expectations.  I'm going with the 50K-100K range, with it somewhere in the high 80s.  I'm also expecting unemployment to either hold steady at 9.8% or even tick up to 9.9% due to more people who were not even looking for work suddenly hitting the streets again.

[Mr.Phips]

I think it will probably be in the 50,000-100,000 range.  The idea that it will be over 200,000 anytime soon is a pipe dream. 

[opebo]

The idea that it will be over 200,000 anytime soon is a pipe dream. 

Why?

[riceowl]

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132674656/adp-297-000-private-jobs-added-in-december

[opebo]

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132674656/adp-297-000-private-jobs-added-in-december

Hee hee.  Well I guess they're poo-pooing ADP, but the details aren't as important as the trend.  Boom's a comin'.

[Sbane]

I think it will probably be in the 50,000-100,000 range.  The idea that it will be over 200,000 anytime soon is a pipe dream. 

I wouldn't be surprised if it is near 200,000 in January.

[Lief 🗽]

+108,000, unemployment rate at 9.4%

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/business/economy/08jobs.html?_r=1&hp

[Mr.Phips]

I think it will probably be in the 50,000-100,000 range.  The idea that it will be over 200,000 anytime soon is a pipe dream. 

I wouldn't be surprised if it is near 200,000 in January.

Well see.  It depends on the weather too. 

[The Economist]

I think it will probably be in the 50,000-100,000 range.  The idea that it will be over 200,000 anytime soon is a pipe dream. 

I wouldn't be surprised if it is near 200,000 in January.

108,000 jobs is a pretty significant gain, compared to past months in 2010. It means that the economy is definitely on a rebound and emerging out of the difficult recession. Though, not to be digressive, that’s not enough to keep up with population growth. (Per month)

I would have guessed 65,000 and 9.6% unemployment.

Well see.  It depends on the weather too. 

[Tender Branson]

Why was there such a large gap between the ADP and BLS report ?

[Beet]

The ADP only includes the firms whose payroll they process, which is not all US firms. Their record is horrible.

[phk]

Something interesting I found