Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 139,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The number of unemployed people, at 7.2 million, changed little over the month.
Employment continued to trend up in health care, leisure and hospitality, and social assistance. Federal government employment continued to decline.
Health care added 62,000 jobs in May, higher than the average monthly gain of 44,000 over the prior 12 months. In May, job gains occurred in hospitals (+30,000), ambulatory health care services (+29,000), and skilled nursing care facilities (+6,000).
Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up in May (+48,000), largely in food services and drinking places (+30,000). Over the prior 12 months, leisure and hospitality had added an average of 20,000 jobs per month.
Employment in social assistance continued its upward trend in May (+16,000), reflecting continued growth in individual and family services (+16,000).
Within government, federal government employment declined by 22,000 in May and is down by 59,000 since January. (Employees on paid leave or receiving ongoing severance pay are counted as employed in the establishment survey.)
In May, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 15 cents, or 0.4%, to $36.24. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.9%.
In May, the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was 34.3 hours for the third month in a row. In manufacturing, the average workweek was little changed at 40.1 hours, and overtime was unchanged at 2.9 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls remained at 33.7 hours in May.
Read the BLS release.
