BLS Releases January 2020 Employment Situation (Feb. 2020)

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 225000 in January and the unemployment rate was little changed at 3.6 percent the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Notable job gains occurred in construction in health care and in transportation and warehousing.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 225000 in January compared with an average monthly gain of 175000 in 2019. In January construction employment rose by 44000. Most of the gain occurred in specialty trade contractors with increases in both the residential (+18000) and nonresidential (+17000) components. Construction added an average of 12000 jobs per month in 2019.  Health care added 36000 jobs in January with gains in ambulatory health care services (+23000) and hospitals (+10000). Health care has added 361000 jobs over the past 12 months.

Employment in transportation and warehousing increased by 28000 in January. Job gains occurred in couriers and messengers (+14000) and in warehousing and storage (+6000). Over the year employment in transportation and warehousing has increased by 106000.  Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up in January (+36000). Over the past 6 months the industry has added 288000 jobs.  Employment continued on an upward trend in professional and business services in January (+21000) increasing by 390000 over the past 12 months. Manufacturing employment changed little in January (-12000) and has shown little movement on net over the past 12 months. Motor vehicles and parts lost 11000 jobs over the month. Employment in other major industries including mining wholesale trade retail trade information financial activities and government changed little over the month.

In January average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 7 cents to $28.44. Over the past 12 months average hourly earnings have increased by 3.1 percent. Average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees were $23.87 in January little changed over the month (+3 cents).

The full BLS press release on the January 2020 employment situation can be accessed in the link below:

The next employment situation report for February 2020 is scheduled to be released on Friday March 6 2020.