Unemployment rate
The unemployment rate, which hit 10% in October 2009, has dropped below 8%. Yet it is still historically high, at 7.9% as of last month -- a tick above the 7.8% unemployment when Obama took office in 2009
Employment vs. population
The percentage of Americans with jobs is near a 30-year low.
Labor participation
Discouraged workers have left the job market, although some have returned recently as the employment picture has shown signs of improvement.
Personal income
Even as the jobs market has gotten modestly stronger, real income has been stagnant.
Wages
Wages, as a percentage of the overall economy, have fallen to historic lows.
Entitlement spending
With demographic shifts and high unemployment, the government has been spending more and more on entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
Federal debt
And though Obama and leaders in Congress will need to come up with a long-term plan to address those big budgetary issues, they also have a more immediate problem to solve: the fiscal cliff.
More from The Fiscal Times:
