January jobs report: Economy adds 225,000 payrolls, unemployment rate ticks up to 3.6% - Yahoo Finance

The U.S. economy added a better than expected 225,000 jobs in January, while the unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.6%. Average hourly earnings increased slightly more than expected in January over last year.

Here were the main metrics from the Department of Labor’s January jobs report, compared to consensus expectations compiled by Bloomberg:

• Change in nonfarm payrolls: +225,000 vs. +165,000 expected and +147,000 in December

• Unemployment rate: 3.6% vs. 3.5% expected and 3.5% in December

• Average hourly earnings month on month: +0.2% vs. +0.3% expected and +0.1% in December

• Average hourly earnings year on year: +3.1% vs. +3.0% expected and +3.0% in December

The January jobs report also included upward revisions to each of November’s and December’s non-farm payrolls figures. November’s payrolls were upwardly revised by 5,000 to 261,000, while December’s were upwardly revised by 2,000 to 147,000. These changes raised the three-month average for job gains to 211,000.

Beneath the headline results, the labor force participation rate rose to 63.4%, or the highest level since 2013, from 63.2% in December. A higher labor force participation rate indicates a greater proportion of the working-age population is working or actively seeking employment.

Meanwhile, the broad U-6 measure of unemployment, which includes workers no longer seeking jobs and part-time workers who would rather have full-time work, rose slightly to 6.9%, from the 6.7% rate from December.

In keeping with recent trends, most of January’s payroll gains came from the private service-providing sector, with education and health services leading advances with 72,000 new payrolls in January. This was more than triple the 22,000 gains in those industries from December, and 29% higher than gains in these industries from January last year.

Retail trade, however, was a weaker spot in the services sector in the January jobs report, reflecting some payback after surging December hiring in these industries around the holidays. Retail trade lost 8,300 payrolls in January.

Within the goods-producing sector, manufacturing industries lost more jobs than expected, shedding 12,000 in January versus the 12,000 anticipated. December’s manufacturing job losses, however, were revised and to just 5,000, from the 12,000 previously reported.

Wage growth, which had slowed in December, picked back up in January, rising by 0.2% over December. Year on year, average hourly earnings rose 3.1%, beating expectations and accelerating relative to December’s pace of wage growth, but coming in below last year’s peak of 3.5%.

Ahead of the January jobs report, a number of other employment indicators presaged ongoing momentum in the labor market.

Weekly new unemployment claims declined in January after rising in December. For the week of the January payrolls survey, or the week of the 12th, claims were lower by 12,000 relative to December.

The January jobs report is expected to reflect 165,000 new non-farm payrolls added in January.

Meanwhile, the employment component of the Institute of Supply Management’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index climbed in January. The non-manufacturing PMI, while lower in January relative to December, held above the neutral level of 50 to indicate expansion.

And on Wednesday, ADP/Moody’s monthly report showed private payrolls climbed by the most since May 2015 in January, driven by employment gains in the services sector. Private sector payrolls rose by 291,000 in January, or well above the 199,000 from December, according to the report.

This post is breaking. Check back for updates.

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Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @emily_mcck

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiV2h0dHBzOi8vZmluYW5jZS55YWhvby5jb20vbmV3cy9qb2JzLXJlcG9ydC1qYW51YXJ5LTIwMjAtbGFib3ItbWFya2V0LWJscy0wMDIzNDg1NjguaHRtbNIBX2h0dHBzOi8vZmluYW5jZS55YWhvby5jb20vYW1waHRtbC9uZXdzL2pvYnMtcmVwb3J0LWphbnVhcnktMjAyMC1sYWJvci1tYXJrZXQtYmxzLTAwMjM0ODU2OC5odG1s?oc=5

2020-02-07 13:30:00Z
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