January Jobs Report

According to @BLS_gov, employers added 225,000 jobs to the U.S. economy in January. The unemployment rate of 3.6% and the number of unemployed persons at 5.9 million saw slight changes.

January’s payroll gains came from businesses in education, health services, construction and leisure and hospitality. Employment in mining, wholesale trade, retail trade, information, financial activities and government changed little over the month. 

The labor force participation rose to 64.4%, the highest level since 2013. This means a larger proportion of the U.S. working-age population is working or actively seeking employment.

Workers no longer seeking jobs and part-time workers who would prefer full-time work, rose to 6.9% from 6.7% in December 2019.

Technician positions woman for mammogram. Photo courtesy of @theNCI.