Today, the government released GDP figures from the third quarter of 2009. The news is generally good, showing that the economy grew by 3.5%. This is after several straight quarters of declines. This marks a technical end to the recession, although in practical terms, there is a great deal of recovery left ahead.

In addition to positive GDP data, it appeared that the employment picture is once again improving. MarketWatch reports on the decline in unemployment claims:

The four-week average of new claims saw a bigger decline, of 6,000 to 526,250. This marked the lowest number since the week ended Jan. 10.

The four-week average is closely watched because it smoothes out the data to minimize the impact of one-time changes due to weather, strikes or holidays.

It is important to note, though, that for many individuals, there are still some difficulties. There are still many people out of work, and struggling. That doesn’t change just because the recession has come to a technical end. However, increased confidence on Wall Street and elsewhere may lead to some loosening of jobs and of credit, helping to ease matters for individuals still struggling.