Joint Economic Committee Chairman Dan Coats (R-Ind.) issued the following statement regarding today’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that the U.S. economy added 151,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in January, the unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.9 percent and labor force participation is 62.7 percent:

“Today's employment report failed to meet expectations and provides further evidence that many Americans are still struggling in this economy. As we begin a new year, it is disappointing to see that our nation’s economic output remains sluggish and job growth continues to be tepid.

“Labor force participation rates remain near a recovery low, even among workers in their prime working years. It’s taking the long-term unemployed far too long to find work – an average of 202 days. Unease remains and will continue to linger until our leaders work together to fix our broken tax code and eliminate stifling regulations.”