Data: Job market hasn’t improved much in 2010

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

The job market has barely improved since January, making 2010 a lost year for the millions who are out of work.

The number of people applying for jobless benefits and the high unemployment rate have essentially been static in that time, the latest data show.

It’s a bleak picture for Democrats, who could lose control of Congress in three weeks. Numerous polls show that voters blame President Barack Obama and his party for the slow economic recovery and the 9.6 percent unemployment rate — not much better than the 9.7 percent rate when the year began.

A sluggish economy has made employers reluctant to hire.

Most economists don’t expect much improvement until late next year. Some say conditions could worsen, and the jobless rate could drift back up to 10 percent this spring.