The latest numbers show that the national unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in November.
That was an increase from the previous rate of 9.6 percent, and some are questioning the official statistics that show that retail jobs actually declined. Retail employment usually peaks at the Christmas season as stores need more workers to help in the aisles and at the check-out counters with the larger volume of shoppers.
Rising unemployment is also a bad sign for the state budget deficit, which is projected at $3.4 billion for the fiscal year that starts in July 2011.