Nonfarm employment edged up in May (+75,000), and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.6 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. Employment continued to trend up in some service-providing industries and in mining, while retail trade and manufacturing lost jobs.
Average hourly earnings were up by 1 cent in May following a gain of 10 cents in April.
Both the number of unemployed persons (7.0 million) and the unemployment rate (4.6 percent) were essentially unchanged in May. A year earlier, the unemployment rate was 5.1 percent.
Total employment (144.0 million) continued to trend up in May; over the year it has increased by 2.4 million. Both the employment-population ratio (63.0 percent) and labor force participation rate (66.1 percent) held steady over the month.