WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nonfarm employment in the United States increased by 209,000 jobs in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The total, which is the lowest figure since December 2020 when jobs fell by 268,000, fell below estimates from economists surveyed by Dow Jones, who had predicted the economy to gain 240,000 jobs last month, according to CNBC. The unemployment rate also ticked down 10 basis points to 3.6 percent. The BLS reports the unemployment rate has ranged from 3.4 to 3.7 percent since March 2022.
The June gains were nearly 100,000 fewer than the May total, which the BLS has revised down to 306,000 jobs. The BLS also revised down employment for April, with the two months combining for 110,000 fewer jobs than previously reported. Job gains for 2023 have averaged 278,000 jobs per month, which is a 43.5 percent decline from the average monthly gains of 399,000 jobs in 2022.
For June, the government added 60,000 new jobs, most of which was concentrated at the state and local levels. The figure is about average for government job gains in 2023 (63,000 per month) and was the leading employment sector for the month. Government employment is now only 161,000 jobs below pre-pandemic levels, or 0.7 percent.
Other sectors showing gains included healthcare (41,000), social assistance (24,000), construction (23,000) and leisure and hospitality (21,000). Job losses were experienced in the retail (-11,000) and transportation and warehousing (-7,000) sectors.