From Holden:

Still no sign of my Bush Boom, as December clocks in with 109,045 announced lay-offs, second-worst month in all of ’04.

U.S. planned job cuts rose in December, making it the second worst month for layoffs last year, according to a report released Wednesday.

Employment consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. said employers announced 109,045 layoffs in December, up from 104,530 in November.

I’m looking forward to another Bush Boom search on Friday, as December’s job creation numbers are announced.

The government will report on the U.S. employment situation in December on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters forecast an increase of 175,000 jobs in non-farm payrolls for the month.

175,000 new jobs, although an improvement over November’s disappointing 112,000, falls about 75,000 jobs short of keeping up with the number of workers entering the job market. Oh Bush Boom, why have you deserted me so?