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mahatmakanejeeves

(57,725 posts)
15. From the source, the BLS report:
Fri Mar 6, 2020, 11:02 AM
Mar 2020
Payroll employment rises by 273,000 in February; unemployment rate changes little at 3.5%

Economic News Release USDL-20-0379

Employment Situation Summary
Transmission of material in this news release is embargoed until 8:30 a.m. (EST) Friday, March 6, 2020

Technical information:
Household data: (202) 691-6378 * [email protected] * www.bls.gov/cps
Establishment data: (202) 691-6555 * [email protected] * www.bls.gov/ces

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * [email protected]


THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- FEBRUARY 2020


Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 273,000 in February, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 3.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Notable job gains occurred in health care and social assistance, food services and drinking places, government, construction, professional and technical services, and financial activities.

This news release presents statistics from two monthly surveys. The household survey measures labor force status, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics. The establishment survey measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. For more information about the concepts and statistical methodology used in these two surveys, see the Technical Note.

Household Survey Data

Both the unemployment rate, at 3.5 percent, and the number of unemployed persons, at 5.8 million, changed little in February. The unemployment rate has been either 3.5 percent or 3.6 percent for the past 6 months. (See table A-1.)

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for Asians declined to 2.5 percent in February. The rates for adult men (3.3 percent), adult women (3.1 percent), teenagers (11.0 percent), Whites (3.1 percent), Blacks (5.8 percent), and Hispanics (4.4 percent) showed little or no change over the month. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more), at 1.1 million, changed little in February and accounted for 19.2 percent of the unemployed. (See table A-12.)

The labor force participation rate remained at 63.4 percent in February. The employment-population ratio, at 61.1 percent, changed little over the month but was up by 0.4 percentage point over the year. (See table A-1.)

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.3 million, changed little in February. These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs. (See table A-8.)

In February, 1.4 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, little changed from the previous month. These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months but had not looked for work in the 4 weeks prior to the survey. Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached who believed that no jobs were available for them, numbered 405,000 in February, little different from the previous month. (See Summary table A.)

Establishment Survey Data

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 273,000 in February, after an increase of the same magnitude in January. In 2019, job growth averaged 178,000 per month. In February, notable job gains occurred in health care and social assistance, food services and drinking places, government, construction, professional and technical services, and financial activities. (See table B-1.)

Employment in health care and social assistance increased by 57,000 in February. Health care added 32,000 jobs, with gains in offices of physicians (+10,000), home health care services (+10,000), and hospitals (+8,000). Employment in social assistance increased by 25,000, with a majority of the gain in individual and family services (+18,000). Over the past 12 months, employment increased by 368,000 in health care and by 191,000 in social assistance.

Food services and drinking places added 53,000 jobs in February. Employment in the industry has increased by 252,000 over the past 7 months, following a lull in job growth earlier in 2019.

In February, government employment increased by 45,000, led by a gain in state government education (+16,000). Federal employment increased by 8,000, reflecting the hiring of 7,000 temporary workers for the 2020 Census.

Construction added 42,000 jobs in February, following a similar gain in January (+49,000). In 2019, job gains averaged 13,000 per month. In February, employment gains occurred in specialty trade contractors (+26,000) and residential building (+10,000).

In February, employment in professional and technical services increased by 32,000. Job growth occurred in architectural and engineering services (+10,000) and in scientific research and development services (+5,000). Employment continued to trend up in computer systems design and related services (+8,000). Over the past 12 months, professional and technical services has added 285,000 jobs.

Employment in financial activities increased by 26,000 in February, with gains in real estate (+8,000) and in credit intermediation and related activities (+6,000). Over the past 12 months, financial activities has added 160,000 jobs.

Employment in other major industries, including mining, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, and information, changed little over the month.

In February, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 9 cents to $28.52. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.0 percent. Average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees increased by 8 cents to $23.96 in February. (See tables B-3 and B-8.)

The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 0.1 hour to 34.4 hours in February. In manufacturing, the workweek increased by 0.2 hour to 40.7 hours, and overtime edged up by 0.1 hour to 3.2 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.1 hour to 33.7 hours. (See tables B-2 and B-7.)

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for December was revised up by 37,000 from +147,000 to +184,000, and the change for January was revised up by 48,000 from +225,000 to +273,000. With these revisions, employment gains in December and January combined were 85,000 higher than previously reported. (Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.) After revisions, job gains have averaged 243,000 per month over the last 3 months.

_____________
The Employment Situation for March is scheduled to be released on Friday, April 3, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).

* * * * *

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Yes it's that Friday again and our DU economic commentators should be along today with a deep dive! BumRushDaShow Mar 2020 #1
Good morning. I've run into that too. NT mahatmakanejeeves Mar 2020 #5
I think something got corrupted in the OP BumRushDaShow Mar 2020 #10
Oh, you betcha, and there's a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. nt yaesu Mar 2020 #2
The Establishment and Household surveys were done the week that contains the 12th -- progree Mar 2020 #3
Was figuring that BumRushDaShow Mar 2020 #4
I don't believe that report at all bucolic_frolic Mar 2020 #6
I agree... Galileo126 Mar 2020 #9
Job listings are full of ads seeking people to do enough work for two people Politicub Mar 2020 #21
Info was gathered prior to 2naSalit Mar 2020 #7
If those numbers aren't trumped up, duforsure Mar 2020 #8
You just voiced my concern. Lonestarblue Mar 2020 #11
No, they don't. NT mahatmakanejeeves Mar 2020 #14
I sincerely believe the numbers are a BIG LIE! Look, with the Dow down in correction+ territory.... machoneman Mar 2020 #13
Links to earlier reports: mahatmakanejeeves Mar 2020 #12
From the source, the BLS report: mahatmakanejeeves Mar 2020 #15
Job losses are coming, and not just because of Caronavirus. maddogesq Mar 2020 #16
I have a strong feeling this will get revised down in a couple of months... SKKY Mar 2020 #17
BLS has finally mastered the art,,,,,,, Cryptoad Mar 2020 #18
Links to charts and graphs from the BLS Twitter account. mahatmakanejeeves Mar 2020 #19
BLS Commissioner's statement mahatmakanejeeves Mar 2020 #20
I think we're going to hold at about the 4percent range Pres. Obama left for us. Sunlei Mar 2020 #22
Future bleak for long-term jobless mahatmakanejeeves Mar 2020 #23
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