US employment rate remains stagnant due to delta variable

Title: US employment rate remains stagnant due to delta variable

Carcass: EE.UU. emplus

Date: October 8, 2021

Author: IACOPO LUZI

Venue: Washington, D.C.

Video presentation: Reuters, AP, AFP, VOA, STORYBLOCKS

Duration: 02:08

((an introduction))

The US economy continues to suffer from the pandemic, mainly due to the recovery in delta-variable cases. the proof? The employment rate which grew very little in September compared to the previous months. We have Iacopo Luzi with the news.

((PKG))

((the writer))

The latest wave of coronavirus sparked the second consecutive month of disappointing job growth in September, as Americans avoided restaurants and were reluctant to join the workforce.

The Labor Department said Friday that US employers added 194,000 jobs in September. A number below 366,000 in August and well below the more than 1 million jobs added in July, before the more contagious delta variant caused a surge in coronavirus cases across much of the country.

However, President Joe Biden preferred to focus on positive unemployment numbers amid an economic crisis and a severe public health crisis.

((SOT: Joe Biden, President of the United States))

((Inge: “Today’s report has dropped the unemployment rate to 4.8 percent, which is a huge improvement over my time in office and a sign that our recovery is moving forward even in the face of the Covid pandemic”)))

ESP: “Today’s report has dropped the unemployment rate to 4.8 percent, a significant improvement since I took office and a sign that our recovery is progressing even in the face of the Covid pandemic.”

((the writer))

It was the first time unemployment had fallen below 5% since the start of the pandemic.

For this reason, Biden has also enacted his economic agenda, calling for the finalization of a $3.5 trillion infrastructure plan so more jobs can be created.

((SOT: Joe Biden, President of the United States))

(Inge: “These bills are about competitiveness versus complacency. Opportunity versus decay. It’s about leading the world or whether we let the world pass.”)

ESP: “These laws have to do with competitiveness versus complacency. Opportunity versus rejection. It’s about leading the world or if we’re going to let the world pass us by.”

((the writer))

The data released on Friday was collected in mid-September, when the delta wave was near its peak. Since then, cases and hospitalizations have declined in most parts of the country and the data suggests that economic activity has begun to recover.

If these trends continue, job growth could approach its pre-delta pace later this fall.

((STAND-UP: Iacopo Lozzi, Voice of America))

ESP: The idea is that this data reflects the situation in the last month, not the current situation. However, the recent slowdown shows the continued weakness of the economy in the face of the pandemic and the challenges that will remain even after it ends.

From Washington, Iacopo Luzi, Voice of America