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June 5, 2026 If there was any doubt, the employment report for May confirmed that the economy is gathering momentum. Following a year when employment was barely climbing, jobs growth in recent months has quickened to about 180 thousand. The long dormant...
Payroll Employment
June 5, 2026 . .Payroll employment rose by 172 thousand in May after having climbed by 179 thousand in April In the past three months payroll employment has risen on average by 188 thousand per month .Clearly, the labor market has strengthened in recent months....
Private Employment
June 5, 2026 . .Private sector employment rose by 120 thousand in May after having climbed by 177 thousand in April In the past three months payroll employment has risen on average by 166 thousand per month .Clearly, the labor market has strengthened in recent...
Unemployment Rate
June 5, 2026 OK The unemployment rate was unchanged in both April and May at 4.3%. The labor force rose by 82 thousand in May while employment increased by 149 thousand. As a result, the number of unemployed workers declined by 66 thousand and the unemployment...
Nonfarm Workweek
June 5, 2026 In any given month employers can boost output by either additional hiring workers or by lengthening the number of hours that their employees work. Payroll employment climbed by 172 thousand in May. At the same time the nonfarm workweek was unchanged...
Average Hourly Earnings
June 5, 2026 Average hourly earnings rose 03% in May to $37.53 after having risen 0.2% in April, Earnings growth in the past year has been 3.4%. While nominal earnings have risen 3.4% in the past year, inflation has risen by 3.7% so real or inflation-adjusted...
Average Duration of Unemployment
June 5 2025 The average duration of unemployment 1.6 weeks in May to 26.0 weeks after having declined 0.9 week in April. That works out to an average duration of unemployment of six months. It appears that unemployed workers are having a somewhat more difficult...
Nonfarm Productivity
June 4, 2026 Non-farm productivity rose0.3% in the first quarter after climbing 1.6% in the fourth quarter and 5.2% in the third quarter First quarter growth rate consisted of a 1.0% increase in output combined with a 0.7% increase in hours worked. Hence, a 0.3%...
Unit Labor Costs
June 4, 2026 Unit labor costs might be a term that is not familiar to you. Unit labor costs represent the increase in compensation adjusted for the gains in productivity. You might think that if labor costs are rising that would put upward pressure on...
Hourly Compensation
June 4 2026 The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that hourly compensation rose 2.1% in the first quarter after climbing 3.7% in the fourth quarter and 3.0% in the third quarter In the past year compensation has risen 3.3%. Growth in hourly compensation is a...
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