FILE-In this Monday, Sept. 17, 2012, file photo, job applicants wait for the opening of a job fair held by National Career Fairs in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Economists forecast that the unemployment rate edged up last month to 8.2 percent from 8.1 percent, according to a survey by FactSet. Employers are expected to have added 111,000 jobs. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 17, 2012, file photo, job applicants wait for the opening of a job fair held by National Career Fairs in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent last month, dropping below 8 percent for the first time in nearly four years. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
FILE-In this Monday, Sept 17, 2012, file photo, Robert Orkin, of the company TxT-Alert, third from left, talks with job seekers during a job fair held by National Career Fairs, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Economists forecast that the unemployment rate edged up in September to 8.2 percent from 8.1 percent, according to a survey by FactSet. Employers are expected to have added 111,000 jobs. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
FILE-In this Monday, Sept 17, 2012, file photo, Robert Orkin, of the company TxT-Alert, third from left, talks with job seekers during a job fair held by National Career Fairs, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Economists forecast that the unemployment rate edged up in September to 8.2 percent from 8.1 percent, according to a survey by FactSet. Employers are expected to have added 111,000 jobs. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
FILE - In this Monday, Sept 17, 2012, file photo, Robert Orkin of the company TxT-Alert, third from left, talks with job seekers during a job fair held by National Career Fairs in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent last month, dropping below 8 percent for the first time in nearly four years. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. unemployment rate dropped below 8 percent for the first time since the month President Barack Obama took office, a surprising lift for both the economy and his re-election hopes in the final weeks of the campaign. The rate, the most-watched measure …