US DATA: Jan BLS state unemployment: “Regional and state
unemployment rates were generally unchanged in January. Twenty-four
states recorded unemployment rate decreases, 10 states registered rate
increases, and 16 states and the District of Columbia had no change, the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Thirty-nine states and
the District of Columbia posted unemployment rate decreases from a year
earlier, 9 states reported increases, and 2 states had no change. The
national jobless rate fell by 0.4 percentage point between December 2010
and January 2011 to 9.0 percent, 0.7 point lower than in January 2010.
In January nonfarm payroll employment increased in 35 states and the
District of Columbia, and decreased in 15 states.”