host: we have been talking to christopher rugaber and thomas nardone. julia in kingston, new york, hello. caller: host: hi, how are you good. please go ahead -- caller: hi, how're you,? host: good, please go ahead. caller: i wanted to call and talk with you guys a little bit. i'm undecided. i am also one employe. -- unemployed. host: why are you unemployed and how long? caller: i have been unemployed for a good amount of time. for about six months now i have been unemployed. host: do you receive unemployment compensation? caller: no, i do not. you know, i -- a cross my mind. i wondered if i should do that and everything, you know. it is so hard when people think, let me go on unemployment and this and that's -- are you hearing me ok? host: please, go ahead. we are all listening. caller: i am sorry. i'm thinking about many things. how about you ask me something host: i think we've got enough of your story there. mr. rugaber, anything you want to -- anything that stuck out to you about what julia had to say? guest: there has been a lot of long-term unempl

christopher rugaber with the associated press is an economics reviewer. i wanted to ask you about what jack welch, the former chair of ge, wrote in "the wall street journal" this week. he wrote three statistics. the labor participation rate, the growth in government workers were achieved over the past 8 months have to raise some eyebrows. there were no economists predicting that unemployment in september would drop below a%. -- 8% were you as an economics reporter, someone who covers this issue, were you surprised at the drop in unemployment? guest: yes, i was, but frequently, we are surprised by the jobs report. i joke with my editor and so forth about preparing for different outcomes. usually, it comes out and it will we did not prepare for. it is not unusual for it to be surprising, in a funny way. the household survey that tom was talking about that gives us the unemployment rate is a volatile survey and at times. you have sudden moves. the unemployment rate cabin -- had been relatively flat for almost eight months and then there was this drop. it is