Although the number of monthly job losses has declined since last winter, it is still getting harder every month to find a job. There were 6.3 job seekers for every job opening in August, a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows. That ratio increased from 6 to 1 in July and from 1.7 job seekers per job opening in December 2007, the first month of the recession.
The ratio of job seekers to job openings does not include people who are currently employed but are looking for work due to a lack of job security in their current positions, so it actually understates the number of people competing for each job. – Heidi Shierholz