The Single Most Depressing Thing About the Recession Has Just Been Put Out of Its Misery

The economy gained 217,000 jobs in May, bringing the total number of workers back to its pre-recession peak and finally putting one of the glummest graphs of job creation out of its misery. The graph created by Calculated Risk, below, shows that jobs in our current recession (the red line) took a longer and deeper dive than at any other point since WWII.

Now, with total employment 98,000 jobs higher than pre-recession levels, the red line is officially history, and hopefully won’t return any time soon.

Not that total employment is the final measure of workforce well-being. After all, the population has grown alongside the job market. The percentage of the working age population in the workforce is still at a decades-long low-point, as Calculated Risk shows compliments of another worrisome graph. There are still plenty of dipping lines to worry about yet.

Source: Calculated Risk