Summary Box: Unemployment sinks to two-year low

HIRING BURST: The economy is getting a lift from the strongest two months of hiring since before the recession began, and many companies say they plan to add more jobs.

WELCOME NEWS FOR OBAMA: The increased hiring has dropped the unemployment rate to 8.8 percent, a two-year low. It's an encouraging sign for the unemployed and for President Barack Obama's re-election prospects.

BUT SOME JOBSEEKERS STILL WARY: The job gains haven't led many people who stopped looking for work during the recession to start again. Fewer than two-thirds of American adults are either working or looking for work — the lowest participation rate in 25 years.