WASHINGTON — Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney says a drop in the nation’s unemployment rate to 7.8 percent “is not what a real recovery looks like.”
The former Massachusetts governor responded to the September jobs report out Friday by arguing that Obama has a failed record on the economy. He pointed to millions of Americans still struggling for work, living in poverty and using food stamps to feed their families.
The unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent last month, dropping below 8 percent for the first time in nearly four years. The rate declined because more people found work, a trend that could have an impact on undecided voters in the final month before the presidential election.
He also argued that the rate is low in part because some people have stopped looking for work.
The Labor Department says 114,000 jobs were added last month, helping bring the jobless rate to its lowest point since Obama took office in January 2009.
The revisions show employers added 146,000 jobs per month from July through September, up from 67,000 in the previous three months. The unemployment rate fell from 8.1 percent in August, matching its level in January 2009 when President Barack Obama took office.
The decline could help Obama, who is coming off a disappointing debate performance against Romney.
The job market has been improving, sluggishly but steadily. Jobs have been added for 24 straight months. There are now 325,000 more than when Obama took office.
The September gains were led by the health care industry, which added 44,000 jobs — the most since February. Transportation and warehousing also showed large gains. The revisions showed that governments actually added 63,000 jobs in July and August, compared with earlier estimates that showed losses.
Still, many of the jobs added last month were part time. The number of people with part-time jobs who wanted full-time work rose 7.5 percent to 8.6 million.