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January Unemployment Rate Falls The unemployment rate falls to 5.7 percent in January, a drop of 0.3 percent. The improvement is tied to hiring in the retail sector, but the surge was a bit misleading. Restaurants and other retailers hired fewer people than usual in December, and that threw January's numbers off. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

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January Unemployment Rate Falls

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January Unemployment Rate Falls

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The unemployment rate falls to 5.7 percent in January, a drop of 0.3 percent. The improvement is tied to hiring in the retail sector, but the surge was a bit misleading. Restaurants and other retailers hired fewer people than usual in December, and that threw January's numbers off. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.