The employment situation in the U.S. seems to be holding steady, according to the July jobs outlook released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics today.
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate, the number of unemployed persons, the number of long-term unemployed, the civilian labor force participation rate and the number of persons employed part time for economic reasons all changed little in July. The numbers of persons marginally attached to the labor force and discouraged workers declined slightly from last year (236,000 and 247,000, respectively).
Overall, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 209,000 in July, the BLS said, with strongest growth in professional and business services (47,000 jobs), manufacturing (28,000 jobs) and retail trade (27,000).
The job gains in ambulatory healthcare services (21,300) were largely offset by losses in hospitals (7,100) and nursing care facilities (5,900). Offices of physicians and home healthcare services saw gains of 7,500 and 5,200, respectively
The BLS revised its May and June numbers. The agency added 15,000 jobs for each month, bringing May’s total from 224,000 to 229,000 and June’s from 288,000 to 298,000.