Market panics are a normal part of American business cycles. The recent scare, driven by a combination of slower hiring and the partial unwinding of the global carry trade, stands in contrast with resilient household spending, a fiscal tailwind and solid, if unspectacular, fixed business investment in the ... READ MORE >
unemployment rate
Slower pace of hiring in June bolsters case for Fed rate cut
This is what an economy normalizing back toward long-term trends in growth, inflation and hiring looks like. In June, the American economy generated 206,000 jobs while the unemployment rate increased to 4.1%, or 4.054% when taken out to three decimal points. At the same time, wage growth eased to ... READ MORE >
Job openings rise as the labor market marches toward normalization
Labor demand remained strong in May, bolstering hirings during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Tuesday. Job openings edged up unexpectedly to 8.14 million from a downwardly revised 7.92 million in April. The increase in job openings is in line with our forecast for another strong ... READ MORE >
December employment report caps an extraordinary year of 2.7 million jobs added
The U.S. economy added 216,000 jobs in December, closing out an extraordinary year that saw an increase of 2.7 million in total employment and a record 167 million Americans employed. During the past year, the unemployment rate averaged 3.6% and closed the year at 3.7% in the best year for labor ... READ MORE >
U.S. November jobs report: This is what a soft landing looks like
This is what a soft landing looks like. Through November this year, the American economy has produced nearly 2.6 million jobs as inflation has eased from 6.4% to 3.2%, all while the unemployment rate has remained below 4%. This is not a recession but instead is a sustained expansion amid labor ... READ MORE >
Blowout employment report is a win for the American real economy
The U.S. September employment report, with a surprising gain of 336,000 jobs, surely exaggerates the true underlying pace of hiring that remains quite strong but not at the robust levels implied by the monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics estimate released on Friday. Once one considers the upward ... READ MORE >
Blowout January jobs report likely exaggerates hiring
Seasonal noise always presents problems when estimating the January jobs picture at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the first employment estimate of the year serves as a useful reminder not to overinterpret one report. The blowout 517,000-job increase in total employment for January, ... READ MORE >
Job openings fall as rate hikes take effect
In a sign that the chronically tight labor market may be easing, job openings plunged in August amid a slowdown in overall demand. That decline should come as an encouraging sign for the Federal Reserve, which has been targeting excess labor demand with aggressive interest rate hikes as it tries to ... READ MORE >
Labor force dynamics: 60,000 jobs per month are needed to keep the jobless rate near 4.4%
Long-run changes in the labor force have slowed its growth and are likely to result in a shortage of workers even if the economy falls into recession. Between 2008 and 2020, the labor force grew at an average rate of 0.06%. Assuming that does not slow further—it very well could because of ... READ MORE >
U.S. May jobs report: Robust gains in total employment as wage increases ease
American firms continued to hire workers at a torrid pace in May to meet strong demand amid a historically tight labor market and 8.3% inflation. Amid that robust increase in total employment of 390,000 in May, the three-month average annualized pace of average hourly earnings slowed to 4.3% on the ... READ MORE >