Unemployment Falls to 9.7%, but 20,000 Jobs Were Lost in January

Americans will have to wait at least another month to hear unambiguously good news regarding job growth in the U.S. The Labor Department announced Friday that the world's largest economy unexpectedly lost 20,000 jobs in January. Although the unemployment rate fell to 9.7% from 10% in December, economists caution that the fall could prove to be temporary. When many of the unemployed who have stopped looking for work start trying again, they'll be included in the unemployment rate, potentially pushing it back up.