The U.S. economy needs to add 145,000 jobs per month just to hold the unemployment rate steady and absorb the flow of new workers into the labor force, according to estimates in the latest Wall Street Journal survey of economists.
That makes 145,000 jobs per month the break-even pace of job growth. If the economy is consistently adding more than 145,000 jobs per month, then the unemployment rate should continue to drift down. If it falls below that 145,000 pace, however, the rate of unemployment will start to climb.
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