WASHINGTON —Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement on the August 2009 Employment Situation report issued today:
"This past August, the economy lost 216,000 jobs — fewer than what most experts expected. The overall unemployment rate is now 9.7 percent. Last month's jobs loss is an improvement from the average 700,000 jobs our economy was losing every month when this administration took office, but is still by no means acceptable."