Matt McCullough, Communications Director (202) 225-5235

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Steve Southerland, II issued the following statement today regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ September jobs report:

 “After 43 months of unemployment above 8%, a decrease in the real unemployment rate should come as welcome news.  Unfortunately, a closer look at the September jobs report reveals more cause for concern.  America is still experiencing its weakest recovery since the Great Depression, with more than 23 million Americans unemployed or underemployed and family incomes plummeting every year since the President took office.  The slight dip in the unemployment rate is due to the fact that more Americans have given up on finding a job than at any point in the past 32 years.  The numbers don’t leave much cause for celebration, but they do provide an important reminder of the work that Washington has left to do.  My House Republican colleagues and I have advanced a pro-growth jobs agenda and it is my hope that Senator Reid will return to Washington to act on the more than 30 House-passed jobs bills that are piling up on his desk.”

###