The macroeconomists who look at the big picture tell us that the recession is technically over. That declaration is made possible by the news that the economy expanded at a 3.5 percent annual rate in the third quarter of 2009, after steadily contracting each month for a year.

But while the news may fuel sporadic surges on Wall Street and hearten all those people who can afford to take a similar big-picture view, it isn’t much comfort to many ordinary Americans who are likely to be hurting for months to come — perhaps longer — as a result of the economic collapse.

Evidence of this came yesterday with the announcement that with 190,000 additional jobs lost last month, the nation’s unemployment rate now stands at 10.2 percent.

That’s the highest it has been since April 1983. And while October’s monthly job loss rate is a fraction of the 600,000 monthly number posted earlier this year, it shows no signs of turning around any time soon.

It’s a good thing that Congress voted on Thursday to extend unemployment benefits for another 20 weeks. A lot of Americans are going to need it.

Meanwhile, the percentage of the work force which is classified as “underemployed” — people who are either without a job at all, working part-time or have given up looking for a job — was a staggering 17.5 percent last month.

Economists tell us that employment is a “lagging” economic indicator: Employers typically don’t do much hiring — at least of full-time, permanent employees — until after they’re reassured that a full recovery is under way. That translates into grim circumstances for millions of people for the foreseeable future.

And their bitterness was not eased at all by the Obama administration’s desperate attempt last week to spin the impending unemployment data to put itself in a positive light.

White House officials boasted that $160 billion in stimulus money doled out by the Recovery Act had “created or saved” more than 640,000 jobs prior to Sept. 30. Including jobs salvaged by $288 million in tax credits, close to 1 million jobs exist that wouldn’t otherwise, they claimed.

Vice President Joseph Biden trumpeted, “These reports are strong confirmation that the Recovery Act is responsible for over 1 million jobs so far and we are on track to create and save 3.5 million jobs through the Recovery Act by the end of next year. This is another encouraging sign of progress following the news that the economy has begun to grow again for the first time in more than a year.”

He added, “But the president and I will not be satisfied until monthly reports show net job growth.”

We commend their restraint.

The problem with the White House’s claim is that it’s difficult, short of having psychic powers, to define what a “saved” job is.

And, fuss-budgets are likely to point out, if we’re going to credit the stimulus money, those roughly 650,000 jobs cost around $200,000 apiece. Even if you include the jobs created or saved with tax credits, it still comes out to about $160,000 per job.

Since most of the jobs pay far less than that annually and therefore generate far less economic activity, it’s hardly something to crow about.

Moreover, analyses of the White House’s data by The Associated Press and other organizations found that the report was full of fuzzy math, false statements and exaggerations. A number of the “saved” or “created” jobs the administration touted were counted several times over.

Meanwhile, as the administration’s stimulus was “saving” all those jobs, another 3 million jobs were lost. There’s no way to put a positive spin on that, especially for the tens of millions of Americans directly affected.

We understand the administration’s desire to deliver some upbeat news in a depressing period. And in some ways, that’s what leaders are supposed to do in such times: Try to promote optimism, in spite of the evidence.

But this came off as propaganda that was easily seen through, even by those who support the president. It only served to make hard-pressed Americans more bitter.

Next time, the White House should spare us the spin.

— The Staten Island Advance