Americans' job optimism increases

A Gallup poll Friday said 19 percent of Americans believe now is a good time to find a good job, the highest level of employment optimism since September 2008. The poll, conducted between March 8 and 11, showed a six-point increase in optimism since February, though the level of optimism is still far below the 45 percent recorded in February 2007, before the so-called Great Recession. The increasing optimism coincides with the U.S. government's recent positive unemployment report, which showed more than 200,000 jobs were added in the country and the unemployment rate held at 8.3 percent, the poll said. Among those who think now is a good time to find a job, the majority are age 18 to 29, with 29 percent answering positively. Men were more likely than women to respond optimistically in the poll at 23 to 15 percent. The Gallup poll was based on telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,024 adults age 18 years and older. The poll has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.