IMO you don't need "numbers". Just drive around town and see all the Now Hiring signs that weren't there a couple years ago. And check the job ads online like cragslist. More jobs now. Lots more.
Speaking of jobs, I remember back around 08-09 I was unemployed (aside from a of security gig) it was hard as fuck finding a job. The are on Craigslist and the employment office were sparse and shit. I was one of the lucky ones to land a job in 2009. One of my friends was also unemployed and had to move back to Utah to live with his mom.