US Nonfarm Payroll Increases by 147,000 in June; Unemployment at 4.1%

On Thursday, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 147,000 in June, roughly in line with the 12-month average of 146,000.

Both the unemployment rate, at 4.1%, and the number of unemployed people, at 7.0 million, changed little in June. The jobless rate has remained within a narrow range of 4.0% to 4.2% since May 2024.

Growth was led by the following sectors:

• Government employment rose by 73,000. State government added 47,000 jobs, largely due to a 40,000 increase in education (local government education rose by 23,000). These gains were partly offset by continued losses in the federal government, which shed 7,000 jobs and has lost 69,000 positions since reaching a recent peak in January.
• Health care added 39,000 jobs, similar to its 12-month average of 43,000 per month.
• Social assistance employment grew by 19,000, driven by a 16,000 gain in individual and family services.

Employment in other major industries—including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale and retail trade; transportation and warehousing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services—showed little change.

Monthly Revisions

Revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimate and from recalculations of seasonal factors.

The April employment change was revised up by 11,000, from 147,000 to 158,000, and the May figure was revised up by 5,000, from 139,000 to 144,000. With these revisions, employment gains in April and May combined were 16,000 higher than previously reported.