The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that U.S. employers expanded payrolls by 372,000 jobs last month. June’s job gains exceeded many economists’ projections of about 272,000 jobs.

The June jobs report also shows that employers added 74,000 fewer jobs than previously reported in April and May combined. Since the start of 2022, overall employment in the United States has increased by about 2.3 million jobs — or about 388,000 positions per month, on average.

Employers in education and health services led job growth in June

The education and health services sector added 96,000 jobs last month, according to the BLS. Other top contributors to job growth in June were the professional and business services industry, which added 74,000 jobs, and the leisure and hospitality industry, which saw job gains of 67,000.

The latest jobs report shows that employers in these industries also expanded their payrolls in June:

  • Transportation and warehousing: 35,500 jobs added
  • Manufacturing: 29,000 jobs added
  • Information: 25,000 jobs added
  • Wholesale trade: 16,400 jobs added
  • Retail trade: 15,400 jobs added
  • Construction: 13,000 jobs added

National unemployment rate remains at a 54-year low

The unemployment rate in June was 3.6%. This rate, which is a 54-year low, has been unchanged since March 2022.

The unemployment rate for college-degreed workers who are 25 or older — those who are in highest demand by employers — ticked up slightly in June to 2.1%, after sitting at 2.0% for three consecutive months.

According to other BLS data, there were 11.3 million job openings in the United States on the last business day of May. The agency also reports that 4.3 million workers quit their jobs voluntarily in May.

Percentage of employed persons working remotely due to the pandemic edges down to 7.1%

The June jobs report notes that 7.1% of employed persons teleworked last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic, down from 7.4% in May. The BLS describes these workers as employed persons who worked away from the office for pay at some point in the last four weeks specifically because of the pandemic.

Number of people unable to work because of the pandemic rises to 2.1 million

Household survey supplemental data from the BLS also finds that the number of people unable to work at all, or who worked fewer hours at some point in the four weeks preceding the latest survey due to the pandemic, was 2.1 million. That figure was 1.8 million in April.

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