This is Bob Doughty with the VOA Special English EconomicsReport.

The Labor Department says the United States economy createdtwo-hundred-forty-eight-thousand jobs in May. The department saysalmost one million jobs have been added in the last three months.

Even so, the unemployment rate in May was the same as April:five-point-six percent. News reports said this was because, whilethere were more jobs, there were also more job seekers in themarket.

The jobs report last Friday added to signs that the economy isimproving. The Bureau of Economic Analysis at the CommerceDepartment says the economy has grown since the last three months oftwo-thousand-one. But, until September of last year, the number ofpeople with jobs had been shrinking. That situation led to concernsthat the United States was in a jobless recovery.

Now, President Bush says the economy is strong and gettingstronger. His administration gives credit for the new growth to itspersonal tax cuts. The reasoning is that people who pay less intaxes put the savings into investments and goods.

But Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says the UnitedStates is in a "wage recession." Senator Kerry's campaign released astatement about the jobs report. The statement said "America isstill in the worst job recovery since the Great Depression." It saidthose who do find a job are earning less, while having to pay morefor health care, college and gasoline.

Before last September, about two-million-six-hundred-thousandmore jobs had been lost than were created since Mister Bush tookoffice. Recent job gains have cut that number by more than half. Ifthe current rate continues, the deficit in jobs could disappear bythe election in November. For more than seventy years, no Americanpresident has had more jobs lost than gained during his presidency.

Measures of public opinion show that not all Americans are sureyet about the economic recovery. The Consumer Sentiment Index by theUniversity of Michigan was reported down four percent in May. Someeconomists say worries about inflation and the possibility of higherinterest rates may be influencing how people feel.

The University of Michigan was supposed to release its earlyreport for June on Friday. But it delayed the release because of thefuneral of former President Ronald Reagan.

This VOA Special English Economics Report was written by MarioRitter. This is Bob Doughty.