January 2018 employment: US adds 200,000 jobs

February 8, 2018

According to ‘The Employment Situation‘ report released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the United States remained unchanged at 4.1%, while the economy added 200,000 jobs, in January. Employment continued to trend up in construction, food services and drinking places, health care, and manufacturing.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls rising by 190,000 in December. The economy needs to create 75,000 to 100,000 jobs per month to keep up with growth in the working-age population.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for Blacks increased to 7.7 percent in January, and the rate for Whites edged down to 3.5 percent. The jobless rates for adult men (3.9 percent), adult women (3.6 percent), teenagers (13.9 percent), Asians (3.0 percent), and Hispanics (5.0 percent) showed little change.

Job growth surged in October and November after being held back in September due to back-to-back hurricanes, which destroyed infrastructure and homes and temporarily dislocated some workers in Texas and Florida.

The change in employment for November 2017 was revised from 252,000 jobs added to 216,000 jobs added while December 2017 was revised from 148,000 jobs added to 160,000 jobs added. With the revisions, employment gains in these two months were 24,000 jobs less than previously reported.

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