Jobless Rate Falls To 9.7 Percent; 20,000 Jobs Lost In January

The Obama administration said on Friday that American employers shed 20,000 nonfarm jobs in January and that job losses in 2009 were worse than previously reported. Though the government's survey of households found a drop in the unemployment rate, to 9.7 percent in January from 10 percent in December, the new figures raised concern that the recovering economy may be slow to bring relief for workers.

New York Times