Barack Obama's approach on employment is out of the ordinary. Increasing employment is his economic highlight, but he does it not from economic growth, but from economic shrinking.
His administration does not cite economic statistics or data on employment. But employment's standard measuring sticks - the unemployment rate and the total number of people employed - proves that the present government's story is definitely less than what it is claiming.
Instead of being the crowning glory of the country's economy, employment even emphasizes its weaknesses.
"Let me start with the economy, and a basic fact: The United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world," said the President in his final State of the Union address in Congress.
"We're in the middle of the longest streak of private sector job creation in history. More than 14 million new jobs, the strongest two years of job growth since the '90s, an unemployment rate cut in half," Obama boasted.
But he was very careful in presenting the facts since his economic achievements, to be believable, must be looked at in isolation, not a part of the whole. If viewed with the proper context, the real picture will emerge.
Employment data for February in the state of Texas seem to validate the President's claims. Last month the Lone Star State added 2,100 nonfarm jobs making it the 11th consecutive month of net job gains, according to the Texas Workforce Commission on Friday.
Unemployment rate statewide fell 4.4 percent from 4.5 percent the previous month.
However, it is the participation rate that helps to get the actual economic picture of the country. Although there are millions of jobs added currently, the rate has not kept pace with the growth of America's potential labor force.
The low unemployment rate, some analysts said, is the product of slow and low labor force participation rate. Today's unemployment rate would be actually far greater after Obama took office, without this huge drop.
