Update: Katrina's Job Impact

Hurricane Katrina's effect on employment isn't as devastating as some expected, though the latest data are more imprecise than usual.

The government's first formal look at Hurricane Katrina's effect on national employment suggested far less damage than many analysts had feared. The Labor Department reported this week that the economy lost a net 35,000 jobs in September, far fewer than the widely predicted decline of 130,000 to 200,000. Stay tuned.

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