But times are difficult and unemployment remains stubbornly high.
Even so, Tuesday's consumer confidence data could be an indication of a difficult October unemployment report, which will be released a week from Friday.
As foreclosures rise and home prices plummet (27% since their 2006 peak, but more than one-third in many other places), the ability of many borrowers to make payments becomes more difficult as unemployment rises.
During periods of extended labour-market weakness, as in the weak recovery after the 2008 09 Great Recession, falling resources per jobseeker can be a particular concern as independent job-search is more difficult when unemployment is high.
This book comes at a time when we all find ourselves in an economy that is very difficult and unemployment numbers make real the possibility of a double dip recession.
She also has two very difficult jobs: lowering unemployment and making sure inflation doesn't send costs soaring.
But if average monthly jobs growth continued at less than 150,000, where it has been over the last three months, it would be difficult for the unemployment rate to fall further.
Conservative researchers say that the counterexample is the European job market, where wages are kept steady and dismissing employees is difficult and where unemployment rates have generally been higher, sometimes much higher, than in the United States in recent decades.
Employment minister Mark Hoban said: "These are very positive figures showing employment rising for over a year and, despite difficult economic circumstances, unemployment is lower than when this government took office.
However, economists are still predicting that 2011 will be a difficult year as unemployment rises and a squeeze on household spending continues.
