The September employment numbers prompted a fast response from Senator Dan Coats. Indiana's senior Senator, who serves as the Joint Economic Committee Chairman, issued a statement after the numbers were released Friday morning. The numbers suggested steady but slow growth, adding 142,000 jobs in September with the rate unchanged at 5-point-1 percent. The Senator notes labor force participation fell to a near 40-year low, with hiring slowing and layoffs are on the rise. Coats called the job report weak and said it shows long-term unemployment is still too high. He says half of jobless workers take 80 days or more to find a job, or they stop looking. He says the average search is 184 days. Coats urged Congress to strengthen the economy by fixing our tax code, preserving entitlements and addressing our debt and deficit.
