Sustained strength in wages continues to attract workers back into the American labor force, which resulted in a net increase of 428,000 jobs in April—the second such increase in a row—as the unemployment rate held steady at 3.6%. Since the beginning of the year, the economy has added 2.1 million ... READ MORE >
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Robust job openings data might accelerate Fed’s rate hikes
U.S. job openings in February came in blazing hot again at 11.3 million, which translated to 1.8 jobs available per unemployed worker, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Tuesday. The new data will add more pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates and cool the economy, and ... READ MORE >
U.S. January jobs report shows strong gains and significant upward revisions
The American labor market remained red hot in January and that strength will stimulate a discussion of faster interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve at its March meeting. The net increase of 467,000 in total employment on the back of a significant upward revision to the December estimate, from ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Job openings rise to second highest on record as quit rate slowed
The demand for labor stayed strong in October as concerns over the delta variant faded and the economy continued to bounce back from the pandemic. Job openings, a proxy for labor demand, reached 11.03 million, exceeding 11 million for the second time on record, slightly lower than the all-time high set ... READ MORE >
U.S. jobs report preview: Expect a gain of 475,000 in October
When the October U.S. employment report is released on Friday, a central area of focus will be on the potential return of women in their prime working years to the labor force as the delta variant fades, child care becomes more available, schools reopen and hiring accelerates. We expect that the ... READ MORE >
Jobs report preview: Education and service hiring to drive gains in July
We expect a net increase in total employment of 950,000 and a decline to 5.7% in the unemployment rate when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its jobs report on Friday. Our top-line estimate stands in contrast with the consensus forecast of 875,000 for the month, which would make for a ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: April JOLTS data shows tightening in the labor market, but it’s nothing new
The federal government's job openings and labor turnover survey data for April, also known as JOLTS, implies that while the labor market has tightened—mostly because of people dropping out of the workforce amid broad demographic and structural economic changes—this is nothing new. If anything, there is ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Job openings rose in the first quarter
The number of job openings and those who quit increased in the first three months of the year, pointing to a healthy demand for labor despite the subsequent disappointing employment report for April, according to government data released on Tuesday. There were more than 8.1 million U.S. job openings in ... READ MORE >
Labor market update: Signs of normalization as long-term challenges persist
The U.S. labor market is showing signs of optimism that might best be described as hedging its bets—confident that the vaccination program will eventually allow for the reemergence of the normal workplace, but recognizing that it may not take just a snap of the fingers to get there. The surge in job ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: U.S. job openings improve
Workers are growing more confident in their ability to find a job, according to the most recent Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 5.1 million separations from employment on the back of 6.65 million job openings during October, according to ... READ MORE >