If It's Thursday...

Jobless claims unchanged at 505K, continuing claims down 39K to 5.61 million.

And where, pray tell, is the holiday hiring rush this year? Also, a million more Americans will lose all their unemployment benefits regardless in 2010 unless Congress re-approves the entire jobless benefit extensions program into 2010.  There's a reason why Republicans are delaying Congress as much as possible, and stalling legislation to the point where Americans lose their unemployment checks is simply scoring political points against the Dems, you see.

PS:  92% of economists in the latest survey don't see jobs coming back until at least 2012.  40% say it will be 2013 or later.  So yes...unemployment hitting 12 or 13% is not only not out of the question but very possible.  That would put the U-6 rate at 20% or more, nationally.

One in five Americans unemployed or underemployed.  Cheery, eh?