Economy Added 236,000 Jobs Despite Expectations of Only 160,000

The U.S. economy added 236,000 jobs in February. According to the Wall Street Journal, economists had forecast that payrolls would rise by 160,000 and the unemployment rate would fall to 7.8 percent. In related news,  the unemployment rate fell two-tenths of a percentage point to 7.7 percent, the lowest level since the end of 2008.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 236,000 in February, and the unemployment rate edged down to 7.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in professional and business services, construction, and health care. Continue Reading

Employment Report Blows Away Estimates; Aug & Sep Revised Upward Too

The consensus of economic forecasts for today’s payroll report was that in October the U.S. would have added about 125,000 jobs and that the unemployment would slightly increase from 7.8 to 7.9 percent due to an increase in the number of people in the labor force. The unemployment rate announced today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was the same as forecast, but the total number of jobs created was almost 37 percent higher as 171,000 net, new jobs were created in October. Further bolstering the strength of the report was that BLS also announced that some 84,000 more net, new jobs were created in August and September than previously estimated.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 171,000 in October, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 7.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment rose in professional and business services, health care, and retail trade.

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy had no discernible effect on the employment and unemployment data for October. Household survey data collection was completed before the storm, and establishment survey data collection rates were within normal ranges nationally and for the affected areas.

Household Survey Data

Both the unemployment rate (7.9 percent) and the number of unemployed persons (12.3 million) were essentially unchanged in October, following declines in September. Continue Reading

96,000 Jobs Added in August; Unemployment Falls to 8.1%

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 96,000 in August, and the unemployment rate edged down to 8.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in food services and drinking places, in professional and technical services, and in health care.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the 96,000 net new jobs in August was fewer than the 125,000 gain forecast by economists. The unemployment rate, obtained by a separate survey of U.S. households, fell to 8.1 percent from 8.3 percent as the number of people looking for jobs shrank. Private sector employment by corporations accounted for all of the growth in payrolls as they added 103,000 jobs. Payroll numbers for the prior two months were revised lower: July payrolls rose 141,000 compared with the initially reported 163,000, while June’s gain was 45,000 instead of 64,000 new jobs.

Household Survey Data

The unemployment rate edged down in August to 8.1 percent. Since the beginning of this year, the rate has held in a narrow range of 8.1 to 8.3 percent. The number of unemployed persons, at 12.5 million, was little changed in August.
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