This is very close to the forecasted 658,000. Not great, obviously, but not far off what was expected. Before any recovery it's important that the economy becomes more predictable. Reuters:
Employers slashed 663,000 jobs in March, lifting the unemployment rate to 8.5 percent, the highest since 1983, official data showed on Friday in a report underscoring the growing distress in the labor market.
The Labor Department also revised January data to show job losses of 741,000 that month, the biggest decline since October 1949, as the economy battles a recession that has entered its 16th month.
