June Numbers Tell Job Seekers to Get New Skills

By Jeremy Greenfield, Special to AOL Jobs

Just when hope beckoned from the job market, anemic growth in June suggested job seekers may have a more difficult time finding work as the U.S. economy added only 18,000 jobs and unemployment rose to 9.2%.

Economists had predicted that as many as 100,000 more Americans would be working in June. The private sector added 57,000 jobs while government agencies slashed employment, according the the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Headwinds that were slowing job growth – like the Japan earthquake, unusual Spring storms and high oil prices – were expected to abate somewhat in June, spurring growth.