Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 147,000 in June, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.1%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported last week. Job gains occurred in state government and health care, while the federal government continued to lose positions, the organization reported.
The most recent news release from BLS presented statistics from two monthly surveys. A household survey measures labor force status, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics. An establishment survey measures nonfarm employment, hours and earnings by industry.
The Household Survey Says
Household Survey data shows both the unemployment rate, at 4.1%, and the number of unemployed people, at 7 million, changed little in June. The unemployment rate has remained in the range of 4% to 4.2% since May 2024.
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for Blacks (6.8%) increased in June—meaning more people out of work—while the rates for adult women (3.6%) and Whites (3.6%) decreased. The jobless rates for adult men (3.9%), teenagers (14.4%), Asians (3.5%), and Hispanics (4.8%) showed little or no change over the month.
In June, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) increased by 190,000 to 1.6 million, largely offsetting a decrease in the prior month. The long-term unemployed accounted for 23.3% of all unemployed people.
The labor force participation rate changed little at 62.3% in June, and the employment-population ratio held at 59.7%.
The number of people employed part time for economic reasons (4.5 million), changed little in June. These individuals would have preferred full-time employment but were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs, BLS officials report.
The number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job was essentially unchanged at 6 million. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the four weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job.
The number of discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached who believed that no jobs were available for them, increased by 256,000 in June to 637,000.
What the Establishment (Survey) Says
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 147,000 in June, in line with the average monthly gain of 146,000 over the prior 12 months.
Employment showed little change over the month in major industries, including mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services.
Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 8 cents (0.2%) to $36.30 in June. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.7%. In June, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 9 cents, or 0.3%, to $31.24.
The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged down by 0.1 hour to 34.2 hours in June. In manufacturing, the average workweek held at 40.1 hours, and overtime was unchanged at 2.9 hours.
Altogether, June’s employment data paints a mixed but stable picture—one of modest gains, steady wages and ongoing challenges for segments of the workforce.