Just a quick note, total nonfarm U.S. employment is currently 113 thousand below the pre-recession peak. With the release of the May employment report next Friday, total employment will probably be at an all time high.



Note: The consensus is for an increase of 217 thousand non-farm payroll jobs added in May.



I guess I'm going to have to retire the following graph until the next recession ... (once call the "THE SCARIEST JOBS CHART EVER").





Click on graph for larger image.



The graph shows the percentage of payroll jobs lost during post WWII recessions through April.



Of course this doesn't include growth of the labor force, but this will be a significant milestone as the economy recovers from the housing bust and severe financial crisis.