“History’s Been Made Here”: Joe Biden Takes a Victory Lap Following Unexpectedly Bright Jobs Report

Everyone seemed to be bracing for a brutal jobs report, thanks to the omicron variant that sent COVID infections skyrocketing across the country earlier this winter, which has only recently tapered off. But even with the latest pandemic surge, the United States added a remarkable 467,000 jobs in January, surprising observers who had expected hiring to stall.

The January numbers, released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, underscore the impressive economic rebound Joe Biden has overseen through his first year in office — even as inflation, the ongoing pandemic, and other issues keep many Americans from feeling that recovery. Some economists had been anticipated only 125,000 jobs to be added. That hiring far exceeded those expectations was a welcome bit of good news for Biden, who touted the 6.6 million jobs the U.S. has added since he took office — the most by any president in their first year, surpassing Jimmy Carter’s record of 3.9 million. “America is back to work,” Biden said in remarks on the jobs report Friday. “History’s been made here.”

“These announcements are the drumbeat of a job resurgence unlike anything we’ve seen in our history, and it didn’t happen by chance,” Biden added. “It’s the result of the economic plan I put into action on day one.”

According to the Labor Department report, unemployment did increase slightly for the first time since June, to 4%. But wages also increased, with average hourly pay rising by 5.7 percent over the last year. Sectors hit hard by the pandemic, including the leisure and hospitality industries, continued to see growth, the report noted. It also included important revisions: The disappointing November and December jobs numbers were revised up by a combined 709,000 than previously reported, while the June and July figures were revised down by 807,000. These significant revisions don’t alter the overall total by much, but as the New York Times’ Ben Casselman noted Friday, it “makes the monthly changes look much less volatile.”

The jobs report will likely remove any question that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates to offset inflation, which has been among the issues darkening many Americans’ economic outlook. Whether or not more come to feel the “Biden Boom” is sure to depend on improvement in those other factors, not all of which are directly under his control. Still, the numbers point not only to a steady recovery, but one that has been more resilient than expected. “We still have a lot of work to do,” Biden said in his post-report victory lap Friday, calling the hiring gains a “great start, but…not the finish.” “I’m delighted to keep it going and expand what we’ve done, because we have a great opportunity ahead of us to further make progress beyond what we’ve already made.”

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