It's official -- the recession is over. Right?

But does anyone notice the difference? Is your wallet thicker? Have you found a job? Maybe this is because the end of the recession is not the cure-all for our economic woes.

What most Californians don't realize is that what economists call the end of a recession is the end of a decline of gross domestic product growth for two consecutive quarters. So that means if the GDP goes up in the third quarter, the recession is automatically over. What people want is reduced unemployment, fewer foreclosures and a return of their social programs but the end of a recession doesn't bring any of those presents -- at least, not yet.

After a decline for two consecutive quarters in the past few months, there has been a small increase in the third quarter of this year. Two weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis said the GDP increased at an annual rate of 3.5 percent, and some reports say this unofficially marks the end of the worst recession since the Great Depression.

But according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the nation is still about 10 percent -- the same rate in San Francisco. In California, it's up to nearly 12 percent. The U.S. Department of Labor released a report Nov. 6, saying that in October nearly 190,000 jobs were lost.

Even the White House, while pleased with the small improvement, said that it will be a long time before the economy can fully recover.

However, few San Francisco small business owners agree that their businesses have picked up a little bit since last year, but not anything drastic.

While those on Wall Street are welcoming their Christmas bonuses and department stores are bracing for the winter rush, the little people with their mortgages and underemployed 15-hour jobs have not gotten a break for a while.

The U.S. Department of Labor has estimated that 21.9 percent of Californians are still underemployed, which refers to anyone who is working less than the full-time hours that they would work if they were offered. This staggering percentage -- more than one in five state residents -- is a clear representation that people are still struggling to get out of the holes that the recession abandoned them in.

On Oct. 14, the Dow Jones industrial average rose above 10,000 points -- the first time it was that high since the recession started in late 2008. But two days later, it was reported the Dow fell nearly 67 points. This was partly because of losses on home loans and consumer credit as people were trying to save their homes while jobs kept disappearing -- something millions of people in the United States are currently facing.

So everyone needs to take those salvation cries that the recession is over as nothing more than economic jargon with no quick or steady results. People should proceed with the same caution they were advised to when the crisis began.

While the market is showing favorable results, the people are still paying the price for short-sighted overspending and reckless actions by the gatekeepers of the money. Lick your wounds and wait for brighter days to celebrate.