U.S. Unemployment Inched Down to 8.3 Percent in January

U.S. unemployment dropped 0.2 of a percentage point in January from December, according to the national estimate by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today.

"Job growth was widespread in the private sector in January, with the largest gains occurring in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing," John M. Galvin, Bureau of Labor Statistics acting commissioner stated in a release.

The national unemployment stood at 8.3 percent last month, with the overall number of unemployed now at 12.8 million.

But even with 243,000 new jobs created in the first month of the year, the nation has seen little change in the number of people -- 1.1 million -- that for the past year have given up looking for work, the bureau reported.

The latest figures also include 5.5 million that had been out of work at least 27 weeks and 1.7 that have not sought work for four weeks as they attended school or to family responsibilities.

In Florida, where unemployment stood at 9.9 percent in December, the latest number available, there were 913,000 listed as unemployed during the holiday season out of a potential labor force of 9.23 million.