The latest jobs data came on the heels of a Commerce Department report showing that gross domestic product rose 3.5% in the third quarter, the largest increase in two years. Although the two reports might appear to say two different things about the health of the economy, EPI’s research and analysis showed that they both point to an economy that is beginning to heal, but which needs more public investment to sustain a robust recovery. A total of 8.1 million jobs have been lost during the recession, and when population growth is factored in, the country needs 10.9 million new jobs to return to pre-recession levels of employment.
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