According to the Labor Department, the slight reduction in the unemployment rate is not solely due to new jobs but also because an increasing number of out-of-work Americans are leaving the civilian work force. "The jobless rate edged down primarily because 152,000 people dropped out of the labor force," says [Wells Fargo economist Sung Won] Sohn, adding that this is "not an encouraging sign."

Via U.S. News and World Report.