Biggest gains recorded in hospitality, healthcare, construction
Total nonfarm employment in the United States increased by 223,000 in December, compared to the previous month, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Employment rose in nearly all sectors:
- leisure and hospitality (+67,000)
- health care (+55,000
- construction (+28,000)
- social assistance (+20,000)
- other services (+14,000)
- mining (+4,000)
- retail trade (+9,000)
- manufacturing (+8,000)
- transportation and warehousing (+5,000)
- government (+3,000)
Technology industry companies added 17,600 workers in December, noted the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).
"Another wave of positive tech employment data speaks to the many moving parts of a complex labor market," said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA. "Despite the layoffs there continues to be more employers hiring tech talent than shedding it."
It’s positive news after half a year (and counting) of high-profile companies in California, particularly in Silicon Valley, announcing mass layoffs and hiring freezes ahead of an anticipated recession.
Meanwhile, employment in professional and business services dropped by 6,000 in December.
The number of job openings in the country stood at 10.3 million on the last business day of October, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS).
Unemployment
The unemployment rate decreased to 3.5% in December and has remained in a narrow range of 3.5% to 3.7% since March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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The U.S. unemployment rate is projected to reach 5.5%, according to a previous report.
The number of unemployed persons edged down to 5.7 million in December. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) declined by 146,000 to 1.1 million. And the count of persons not in the labor force who currently want a job fell by 352,000 to 5.2 million.
Among those not in the labor force who wanted a job, the number of persons marginally attached to the labor force declined by 231,000 to 1.3 million in December.