Morningstar employment sector analyst Vishnu Lekraj forecasts unemployment ticking higher still but sees an inflection point in the pace of job losses.
Some quirks boosted the September employment report, but several factors--including higher wages and a construction upturn--suggest tailwinds for further improvement ahead.
The slow-recovering employment market will need a boost from housing construction and a realignment of worker skill sets to get back to full health, say Morningstar's Bob Johnson and Vishnu Lekraj.