US Unemployment Rises to 8.1%...And Counting?????

By Agence France-Presse for Raw Story
The economy shed 651,000 jobs in February, pushing the unemployment rate up to 8.1 percent, according to government data Friday highlighting the worst month for the labor market since 1983.
The number of job losses was in line with most forecasts but underscored the dire state of the economy as companies reduce their workforce to cope with the deepening slump.
The Labor Department also revised up its estimate for losses for the previous two months -- 655,000 in January from 598,000, and 681,000 in December from 577,000. The figures showed December's losses as the worst on record since October 1949, officials said.
The jobless rate rose from 7.6 in January to 8.1 percent in February, the highest since December 1983.
Officials said 4.4 million jobs have been lost since the recession began in December 2007, with 2.6 million in the past four months.