A few more details: The paper should be one page in length (NOT including headers--name, course number, an other things like that do not apply to the length). The paper should be in essay format; I do not want to see the questions that I am writing below appearing in the paper, rather your paper should just address those questions. You do not need to address all of them, and the paper should flow fairly well from one topic to the next.
Grading will be based 30% on Grammar, Usage, and Style. 70% of the grade will be based on the Economics content.
Prompts:
Why does adding "just" 126,000 jobs imply "sluggish" growth?
Why would the events described in the article (including a severe winter) hinder job growth?
Does the graph in the paper show evidence of seasonal variations? Does that need to be considered when comparing the February to March unemployment rates?
Why is the "hidden" unemployment discussed? What are the differences in the measurements and which measure of unemployment is best?
Why does unemployment vary with educational attainment level?
What happened to the labor force participation rate and why is it relevant (especially in the current economic environment?
At the end of the article, it discusses some indicators. Why might they be important for determining what the economy will be doing in the next few months?