The Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us today that the country lost another 85,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate held steady at 10%. Job losses as a percent of total now show this recession to be the worst since the Great Depression.
It's also interesting to note in the chart that after swift recoveries for jobs in earlier recessions, the past few have demonstrated a flattening pattern. 1990 and 2001 both show much more rounded patterns/slower recoveries than prior recoveries. This may just be a reflection of the maturation of the economy; as it has grown in size it has lost some of its resiliency.
via Calculated Risk