Labor is expected to report Friday that the U.S. added a net 183,000 jobs in February, the most since last May. The jobless rate is seen ticking up 0.1 point to 9.1% as more people entered the labor force. Many of those new or returning job-seekers will likely find only disappointment.
December job openings fell by 139,000 to 3.06 million, the third straight decline, according to Labor's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. January's JOLTS survey is due March 11.
There were 4.7 job-seekers for each opening in December, off a peak of 6.3 in July 2009 but still far above the 1.15 ratio typical before the recession, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
"We are still very near the bottom of a very huge crater," said Heidi Shierholz, an EPI labor economist.
The U.S. has expanded for six quarters, but growth has been modest by historical standards. Strong head winds remain, from a still-moribund housing market to $100 oil and looming fiscal tightening at all levels of government.
Uncertainty about ObamaCare costs have also made firms cautious about hiring, analysts said.
Never Coming Back?
"The job market is doing better, but it's not getting better fast enough to soak up those who are unemployed and particularly those who have been unemployed for a long time," said Jeff Joerres, CEO of Manpower.
Average time out of work has hit a record 36.9 weeks from 16.6 weeks at the recession's start.
Many lost factory and construction jobs will never return, leaving those workers ill-equipped for jobs in faster-growing industries such as health care, information technology and software.
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