Summer might bring with it thoughts of vacation, but plenty of bosses have jobs on their minds as well.
The start of summer has brought positive news to the nation’s employment scene. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported job gains across most major industries and a slight reduction in the unemployment rate.
Employment increased by 288,000 in June, and the unemployment rate declined by 0.2 percent to 6.1 percent. According to the BLS, the unemployment rate has declined by 1.4 percentage points and the number of unemployed persons has decreased by 2.3 million over the last year.
Healthcare employment remains on solid ground. In June, the industry gained 21,000 jobs, keeping in line with its 12-month average gain of 18,000 per month. The BLS reported no losses in the various sectors of the industry. Sectors with the largest gains include ambulatory healthcare services with a gain of 13,100, physician offices with a gain of 4,000 and nursing and residential care facilities, gaining 5,700.
Other industries with solid growth include professional and business services, increasing by 67,000 in June, with strong gains particularly in management and technical consulting services (more than 8,000); the retail trade, with an increase of 40,000; and food services and drinking places, which gained 33,000 jobs.
The BLS also revised upwards its employment numbers for April and May. April's reported gain of 282,000 jobs was bumped up to 304,000, while May was revised upwards from 217,000 to 224,000.