51.   Fed chairman Alan Greenspan has said that low jobless rates eventually will trigger rising wages and prices.

52.   Fifteen economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had, on average, expected the jobless rate to remain unchanged in May.

53.   For employers, however, the lower jobless rate means competition for skilled workers will likely intensify as Massachusetts companies struggle to fill vacancies.

54.   For skilled labor, New York State employment officials said, the jobless rate in the Hamptons is about zero.

55.   For one, she said, the jobless rate was distorted by the three-week strike at General Motors.

56.   For the past year the central bank has watched the jobless rate fall lower and lower without taking any action.

57.   For a graph of the jobless rate, see JNUE Index GPO, HP.

58.   Four economists polled by Bloomberg news had forecast that the jobless rate would be unchanged.

59.   Friday, for instance, the good news was a stabilized jobless rate.

60.   Future dismissals are expected to push up the jobless rate in a country where welfare payments for the unemployed fall below international standards.