And the number of high school dropouts has fallen. Such evidence suggests strongly if not convincingly, that jobs are being created for more than hamburger flippers. Or, perhaps, that McDonald's is employing well-educated flippers. Judging from the number of initial public offerings, or IPOs, on the stock market, it is understandable you might think that new companies are being formed at a record pace. Moreover, new-business employment fell 4 percent.
People often assume that when the economy is strong, so also is business formation.
Jobs fell to 906,105 from 939,310. The falloff was in every industry but agriculture and finance. The late Julian L. Simon, a University of Maryland professor, spent two decades seeking to undermine what he said were imperfect perceptions about the environment, resources and population. You might have noticed that much of the news about such economic categories has tended toward the dismal. Needlessly so, said Simon, who believed a great gap existed between perception and reality.