The number of unemployed persons was 15.0 million in May. The unemployment rate edged down to 9.7 percent, the same rate as in the first 3 months of 2010.
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- MAY 2010
Total nonfarm payroll employment grew by 431,000 in May, reflecting
the hiring of 411,000 temporary employees to work on Census 2010, the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Private-sector em-
ployment changed little (+41,000). Manufacturing, temporary help ser-
vices, and mining added jobs, while construction employment declined.
The unemployment rate edged down to 9.7 percent.
Household Survey Data
The number of unemployed persons was 15.0 million in May. The unem-
ployment rate edged down to 9.7 percent, the same rate as in the
first 3 months of 2010. (See table A-1.)
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for blacks (15.5
percent) declined in May, while the rates for adult men (9.8 percent),
adult women (8.1 percent), teenagers (26.4 percent), whites (8.8 per-
cent), and Hispanics (12.4 percent) showed little change. The jobless
rate for Asians was 7.5 percent, not seasonally adjusted. (See tables
A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
In May, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks
and over) was about unchanged at 6.8 million. These individuals made
up 46.0 percent of unemployed persons, about the same as in April.
(See table A-12.)
The number of unemployed reentrants to the labor force fell by 286,000
in May, offsetting an increase in April. (See table A-11.)
In May, the civilian labor force participation rate edged down by 0.2
percentage point to 65.0 percent. The employment-population ratio was
about unchanged over the month at 58.7 percent. (See table A-1.)
The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (some-
times referred to as involuntary part-time workers) declined by
343,000 in May to 8.8 million. These individuals were working part
time because their hours had been cut back or because they were un-
able to find a full-time job. (See table A-8.)
About 2.2 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force
in May, unchanged from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally
adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and
were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the
prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had
not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. (See table
A-16.)
Among the marginally attached, there were 1.1 million discouraged
workers in May, up by 291,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not
seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently
looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them.
The remaining 1.1 million persons marginally attached to the labor
force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey
for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.
(See table A-16.)
Establishment Survey Data
Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 431,000 in May, reflecting
the addition of 411,000 temporary workers for Census 2010. Total pri-
vate employment showed little change over the month (+41,000), fol-
lowing increases in March and April. In May, manufacturing, tempo-
rary help services, and mining added jobs, while employment in con-
struction declined. (See table B-1.)
Manufacturing employment increased by 29,000 over the month. Factory
employment has risen by 126,000 over the past 5 months. Within manu-
facturing, both fabricated metals and machinery added jobs in May.
Temporary help services added 31,000 jobs over the month; employment
in the industry has risen by 362,000 since September 2009.
Employment in mining continued to increase in May, with a gain of
10,000. Support activities for mining accounted for 8,000 of the over-
the-month increase. Since October 2009, mining employment has expanded
by 50,000.
Health care employment was little changed in May (+8,000). Over the
prior 12 months, health care employment had increased by an average
of 20,000 per month.
In May, employment in construction declined by 35,000, largely off-
setting gains in the industry in the prior 2 months. May's job loss
was spread throughout the sector.
Employment in other private-sector industries, including wholesale
trade, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information,
financial activities, and leisure and hospitality showed little or
no change in May.
Government employment rose by 390,000 in May. The Federal government
hired 411,000 temporary workers for Census 2010, bringing total tem-
porary census staffing during the payroll survey reference period to
564,000. Employment in state government excluding education decreased
by 13,000.
In May, the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm pay-
rolls increased by 0.1 hour to 34.2 hours. The manufacturing workweek
for all employees increased by 0.3 hour to 40.5 hours. The average
workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private non-
farm payrolls increased by 0.1 hour to 33.5 hours over the month. (See
tables B-2 and B-7.)
Average hourly earnings of all employees in the private nonfarm sector
increased by 7 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $22.57 in May. Over the past
12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 1.9 percent. In
May, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsuper-
visory employees increased by 4 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $18.99. (See
tables B-3 and B-8.)
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for March was revised
from +230,000 to +208,000, while the change for April remained at
+290,000.
Original content Bob DeMarco, All American Investor
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