Trader Warren Meyers works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. Stocks opened higher after the government reported a burst of hiring last month that sent the unemployment rate to a four-year low. But both the White House and congressional Republicans reacted to the news in less than celebratory fashion. Richard Drew/AP hide caption

Jobs gained and lost since January 2008. Lam Thuy Vo and Jess Jiang/NPR hide caption

The nation's jobless rate since President Obama took office. BLS.gov hide caption

The economy officially slipped into recession in December 2007 and officially came out in mid-2009. Here's a look at the number of jobs from January 2007 through August of this year. Bureau of Labor Statistics hide caption

A woman walks by a "Help Wanted" sign taped to the window of a restaurant in San Francisco. Some employers are refusing to consider hiring anyone who doesn't already have a job, leading to increased scrutiny by the EEOC. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

Looking for a fruity red... but nothing too insouciant: Vending machines now sell everything from wine and bathing suits to gold and live crabs. Bradley C Bower/AP hide caption