Another positive signal for the economy today as it was revealed that the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent. The economy added 243,000 jobs, more than expected. What does this mean for the economic recovery? Joining the program is Kelly Evans from The Wall Street Journal. 

The main focus of Tuesday’s State of the Union address was the economy and income inequality. Along with his ideas about taxation and protecting homeowners, president Obama also expressed a desire to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. Since the 1980s, the U.S. economy has shifted away from manufacturing and towards intellectual property and services. This has been due in part to the perceived expenses involved in production based in the U.S., as well as labor laws. 

As the GOP field narrows itself down we wanted to take a closer look at each candidate's economic plan for the 2012 election. Which candidate is addressing your concerns about the economy, and what initiatives will have a positive impact on the size of your wallet? American Public Media's Marketplace has a good shapshot of each candidate's economic plan. We've put a more comprehensive view of the candidates' positions below.

On Thursday's show, Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich will try to explain the difference between each economic vision. Have a question about who will address your concerns? Tell us what issue you'd like the next president to tackle at 1-877-8-MY-TAKE. 

Americans struggling with the ongoing recession and unemployment has been one of the defining narratives of 2011. Alexandra Jarrin, a regular guest and listener, lost her corporate job and home in 2008 and remained unemployed for nearly three years. She now works as a door-to-door salesperson for commission, but hopes to find a better job soon. Jarrin is 50-years-old and lives in Vermont. She has been on the program before, and gives an update of how her life has changed since The Takeaway last spoke to her.

One of the bright spots in the American economy right now is coming from the manufacturing sector. According to the Institute for Supply Management’s monthly survey of purchasing and supply executives, activity at U.S. factories has grown at its fastest rate in five months. And in the automobile sector, the growth rate is translating into new jobs.

Since President Obama introduced the American Jobs Act in September of this year, he has spoken publicly about it more than 50 times. The jobs report for November comes out this morning and the consensus call is that 125,000 new jobs were created this month. Charlie Herman, economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC, speaks about the latest jobs numbers as well as specific economic and educational reforms that are trying — with mixed success — to remedy the situation.

After four years of economic downturns, there's finally some good news: in the past 3 months, 650,000 workers aged 16 to 24 have found jobs. This age group, dubbed by some as "the lost generation," have been hit hardest by these ongoing problems: in 2010, only 16.9 million of them were employed.

The latest job numbers from November reveal that the number of jobs created last month won't be enough to bring down the country's nine-percent unemployment rate. 

Corporations all over America may be laying off employees, but many remain flush with cash. The New York Times reports in Tuesday's paper about an increasingly trend among American corporations. Instead of hiring more workers or investing in new growth opportunities, big companies are spending money on buying back their own stock. Louise Story, Wall Street and finance reporter for The New York Times, discusses why this is happening and what it means for the economy.

Most economists agree that the recession ended in the summer of 2009. But, because of persistently high unemployment, many Americans are still feeling the economic pain. Across the country, there are almost five percent fewer jobs than there were when the recession began. And, according to a recent Gallup poll, Americans are now more pessimistic about the job market than at any time in the past 10 years. About 90 percent of Americans currently say that it is a "bad time" to find a quality job. 

In a rare moment of bipartisan agreement yesterday the Senate passed a small segment of President Obama's jobs package that aims to help unemployed veterans seeking jobs. Financial incentives of up to $5,600 will be offered to employers who hire veterans unemployed for longer than six months. The hope is that it will help the thousands of veterans unable to find employment. 

There were a number of big stories out of Washington late this week. On Thursday, the Obama administration announced that it would delay making a decision on construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline until after the 2012 elections. The pipeline, which would stretch 1,700 miles from Canada to the Gulf Coast, was opposed by environmental activists who said it threatened a major source of drinking water in Nebraska. Meanwhile, in Congress, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to help veterans find jobs and the "super committee" continues to debate a debt reduction plan.

The U.S. economy added 80,000 jobs in the month of October, pushing the unemployment rate down to 9.0 percent from 9.1 percent according the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In October, the private sector added 104,000 jobs, though 24,000 government workers lost their jobs. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve forecast that unemployment will likely only drop to between 8.5 and 8.7 percent in 2012. Charlie Herman, business and economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC, analyzes what these figures mean for the economy.

The markets responded positively to the news last week of a euro zone deal to try and turn around their two-year financial crisis. Marcus Mabry, editor-at-large of the International Herald Tribune, which is the international edition of The New York Times, tells us how he expects the markets to continue to go this week and to be on the lookout at Italy, which could be the next euro zone country to be in financial trouble. Charlie Herman, business and economics editor for WNYC and The Takeaway, looks at the upcoming G20 Summit in France this week, and if they can come up with a framework to deal with Europe's economic troubles.

Anyone watching the American economy might question what it means to have job security 2011. In Detroit this week, a group of national community organizers will be taking the question to the extreme as they ponder: What does it mean to work? The traditional answer—get a job and keep it—is suddenly beyond the reach of so many Americans, that the very definition of work must be re-imagined; say organizers of the Reimagining Work conference.

A New York Times/CBS News poll released Tuesday reveals a deep sense of frustration with government as both political parties have failed to give voters a sense that they can fix the economy. Seven in 10 Americans think the policies of Republicans favor the rich, while two-thirds support raising taxes on millionaires. A report from the Congressional Budget Office also out on Tuesday says that incomes for the top 1 percent of earners have grown by 275 percent in the last 30 years, versus just 40 percent for people in the middle income scale. The poll's findings are bad news for both Republicans and Democrats alike as they prepare for a pivotal election in 2012. New York Times national political correspondent Jeff Zeleny helps parse the numbers and explains what this means for the country.

The financial crisis has hit just about every corner of the economy but it has been disproportionately harmful to African-Americans. The unemployment rate among black Americans stands at 16 percent. That's nearly 7 percentage points higher than the unemployment rate of the population as a whole.

The latest Republican presidential debate was held in New Hampshire on Tuesday night. Perhaps it was the mahogany table's influence but, unlike some of the more recent GOP debates, the atmosphere was cordial. The candidates steered clear of some of the more contentious topics — religion, race, immigration — that have been roiling the field. Instead, they expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Reserve and health care reform, among other subjects. But what, in a debate that focused primarily on the economy, did they offer to potential voters?

Employers added 103,000 jobs in September, keeping the unemployment rate at 9.1 percent. Employers have added an average of only 72,000 jobs in the last five months. The economy must create twice as many in order to keep up with population growth. The figures rebuff grim warnings from economists in recent weeks that the U.S. is headed for a double-dip recession. Many economist continue to be concerned over the growing European sovereign debt crisis, which President Obama said in a press conference on Thursday "could have a very real effect on our economy at a time when it's already fragile."

The New York police department arrested over 700 Occupy Wall Street protesters Saturday, for allegedly walking across the Brooklyn Bridge's roadway, instead of using the pedestrian path. Now in its third week, the movement has spread to other cities around the nation. Meanwhile, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is scheduled to testify before Congress tomorrow on the economic outlook for the country, and unemployment figures are set to be released Friday, as President Obama continues to push his jobs bill. And Nevada has moved its caucus date back, ahead of Florida's, which will likely affect the race for the Republican nomination.