Five reasons the US job market is not as rosy as it looks | Dominic Rushe

On the face of it, the US job market appears in rude health, with unemployment at a 17-year-low. But look beyond the headlines, and it's not all milk and honey

Unemployment in the US is now at a 17-year low, having grown for 86 months in a row since the Great Recession. Hiring did grind to a halt in September after hurricanes Harvey and Irma tore through Florida and Texas, disrupting some of the country's most economically important areas.

But on Friday, the economy appeared to have shaken off the slump that followed in their wake, adding 228,000 new jobs in November according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Beneath the surface, however, there are still some deep scars and structural problems remaining in the labor market.