JUDY WOODRUFF:

This has been an important week for gauging the health of the U.S. economy.

We learned on Wednesday that growth was better than expected. And today's jobs report shows solid hiring again. It points toward a strengthening economy, especially when compared to the earlier parts of this recovery.

But the limits of the labor market are still very apparent, as NewsHour economics correspondent Paul Solman found out, part of his ongoing reporting Making Sense of financial news.