"... don't make too much of any one month's job report, because they're highly variable. You want to look at a little bit of a trend to get a more accurate barometer, and the overall direction is, yes, somewhat slowed from the stiff headwinds of gas prices, of the events in Japan, of some of the events in Europe."  Austan Goolsbee, June 5, 2011.

"Top White House economist Austan Goolsbee said on Monday he was stepping down... Less than a year after he was named chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers..."  Reuters, June 6, 2011.

Sources:  James Pethokoukas, and the St. Louis Fed/FRED.

 Hoven's Index for June 8, 2011

 Net jobs lost since beginning of recession (Dec 2007 - May 2011):  6.94 million

Net jobs lost while Democrats controlled the House (Jan 2007 - Jan 2011): 6.77 million

Net jobs lost during Obama's presidency (Jan 2009 - May 2011):  2.52 million

Net jobs gained since end of recession (June 2009 - Jan 2011):  0.55 million

Percentage loss of jobs since beginning of recession: -5.03%

Percentage gain in jobs since end of recession:  0.42%

Source:  St. Louis Fed/FRED.

 Graph of the Day Archive