Eerrr, maybe not.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. jobs crisis may be easing slightly on the strength of a fourth straight month of modest hiring and a dip in the unemployment rate.

Hiring slowed a bit in October. But the government said job growth was much stronger in August and September than first thought.

Average hourly earnings rose last month. And the unemployment rate ticked down to 9 percent from 9.1 percent, because more people said they found work last month. It was the first drop in the rate since July.

Still, the report suggests that President Barack Obama will likely face voters with the highest unemployment rate of any post-war president.

The Labor Department said the economy added 80,000 jobs in October. It was the fewest in four months and below September’s revised total of 158,000. The government revised August and September’s data to show 102,000 more jobs added.

HT: DrewM