WASHINGTON, D.C. — Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 372,000 in June, while the U.S. unemployment rate stayed steady at 3.6 percent for the fourth consecutive month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Employment gains outstripped the prediction of Dow Jones economists for 250,000 jobs in June, according to CNBC.
The BLS also revised employment gains in April down from 436,000 to 368,000 and May from 390,000 to 384,000, a total of 74,000 fewer jobs in the two-month period. June’s employment gains are in line with the new three-month rolling average of 374,000 jobs.
June job gains were led by professional and business services (74,000), leisure and hospitality (67,000), healthcare (57,000) and transportation and warehousing (36,000). Employment showed little change in construction, retail trade and government employment.
The unemployment rate and number of unemployed persons (5.9 million) mirror February 2020 levels, which was the last month unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Total employment is down 0.3 percent from pre-pandemic levels, with private employment ahead by 140,000 jobs and government employment behind by 664,000 jobs, according to the BLS.