The U.S. unemployment rate stayed at 8.2 percent in June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday.
The stubbornly high rate is an indicator of the sluggish economy
and a major challenge to President Obama as he seeks
re-election in November.
Payrolls rose 80,000 in June after a 77,000 increase in May,
falling short of the more than 100,000 projected by economists over
the past days.
Obama took office in January 2009 in the midst of the deepest
economic downturn in 80 years. The jobless rate peaked at 10 per cent
in October 2009, and dropped to its lowest in April at 8.1 per cent.
The rise to 8.2 per cent in May and June reflected a stalled
economic recovery after a pickup in growth in 2011. Ongoing
uncertainty about the eurozone crisis, combined with bitter partisan
gridlock in Washington over budgetary issues, have contributed to
labour uncertainty.
