Takeaways from a blockbuster January jobs report

But all that said: The general pattern of the labor-market recovery is a positive one. The public health crisis continues; thousands of Americans are still dying each day, and many, many more have lost loved ones over the past two years. Families are still struggling with illness, school disruptions and myriad other stresses. But the economy is somehow shrugging off this suffering, with employers and workers finding ways to adapt and muddle through.