Job Creation Higher for June, but Critics Still Wary of Reports Citing Economic Changes

While stories of unemployment are still running rampant, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has announced there were 288,000 jobs added to the U.S. economy in June. This total is higher than economist's expectations, and for some is a sign of job creation shifting toward the positive.

The unemployment rate also dropped 0.2 percent, from 6.3 percent in May to 6.1 percent in June.

Over the past six months employers have added over 1.4 million jobs to the nation, making the first six months of the year the largest for job growth since 2006.

RBS U.S. Economist Omair Sharif says, "This was a strong report any way you slice it."

Sharif also added that unemployment numbers are, "where the Fed thought we would be at year-end, and it's only June."

For economists, all of these are signs that consumers are once again returning to their usual purchasing habits. Employers do not add jobs if their profits are low. The rising employment statistics are a good sign that workers are a growing, rather than shrinking, demand.

Mike Schenk, vice president of economics and statistics at the Credit Union National Association said, "The first quarter numbers were not all that encouraging, especially in terms of the economic growth numbers. People seemed to be sitting on the sideline in terms of purchasing behavior. Clearly the consumer is back in the market place."

Although President Barack Obama appeared to be happy to hear the statistics, he believes that there is much work to be done when it comes to returning the nation to its previous state.

"As much progress as has been made, there are still folks out there who are struggling," said President Obama. "We still have not seen as much increase in income and wages, as we'd like to see. A lot of folks are still digging themselves out of challenges that arose out of the Great Recession."

The White House has been pushing for wages to be increased in order to better support workers in the cost of living department. New jobs are great, but if the ones that are added are not paying more than minimum wage, then there still is a problem, which is why President Obama has pushed for the federal minimum wage to be raised from $7.25 to $10.10.

About 71 percent of the Americans support raising minimum wage, according to a recent CNN/ORC poll.

Politicians are still debating the raising of the federal minimum wage, with both sides disagreeing about the perceived outcome of doing so. Critics cite concerns over the potential for slower job creation if minimum wage is increased, as it will increase employer overhead.