Unemployment in America has more than doubled over the past two years and almost 15.4m US citizens were jobless in November, but his week could bring vital evidence of healing in labour market.
Non-farm payrolls have declined every month since January 2008, a total of almost 7.2m jobs lost, but December’s data, due on Friday, could show the first rise in employment since the end of the recession.
The US unemployment rate looks likely to remain unchanged at 10% in December, but analysts warn that future job creation could be slow to make meaningful changes to employment levels.