OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) — U.S. employers added 57,000 jobs in June as hiring continued at a slower pace and the unemployment rate held at 4.2%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
June job growth was roughly in line with the average monthly gain of 36,000 jobs over the previous 12 months. The report also revised employment figures for April and May downward by a combined 74,000 jobs.
Professional and business services added 36,000 jobs in June, while social assistance added 25,000 and health care added 22,000. Leisure and hospitality lost 61,000 jobs, reflecting weaker-than-usual seasonal hiring. Employment changed little across other major industries, including construction, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, financial activities, and government.
Average hourly earnings for private-sector employees increased 0.3% in June and were up 3.5% over the year. The average workweek held steady at 34.3 hours.
The report showed 7.1 million Americans were unemployed in June. The labor-force participation rate fell 0.3 percentage point to 61.5%, while the employment-population ratio edged down to 59.0%.
The number of people unemployed for 27 weeks or longer remained at 1.9 million in June, but increased by 286,000 over the past year. Long-term unemployed workers accounted for 27.3% of all unemployed people.
ADP, which measures private-sector payroll activity separately from the federal jobs report, estimated that private employers added 98,000 jobs in June. Its report also identified uneven hiring across industries, with gains concentrated in education and health services, financial activities, and trade, transportation, and utilities.
The BLS report points to a labor market that remains stable but is expanding more slowly, with hiring gains concentrated in a limited number of service sectors.
