
U.S. Payroll Employment Gain is Steady and Firm; Jobless Rate is Unchanged
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
Nonfarm payrolls grew 192,000 during March following a 197,000 February increase, initially reported as 175,000. The rise roughly matched expectations for a 195,000 increase in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The unemployment [...]
Nonfarm payrolls grew 192,000 during March following a 197,000 February increase, initially reported as 175,000. The rise roughly matched expectations for a 195,000 increase in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The unemployment rate held at 6.7% versus expectations for a dip to 6.6%. The total jobless rate, including workers who were marginally attached plus part-time for economic reasons, ticked up to 12.7%. Average hourly earnings were roughly unchanged (2.1% y/y).
The figures referenced above are available in Haver's USECON database. Additional detail can be found in the LABOR and in the EMPL databases. The expectation figures are from Action Economics and are in the AS1REPNA database.
Employment: (M/M Chg., 000s) | Mar | Feb | Jan | Y/Y | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payroll Employment | 192 | 197 | 144 | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.2% |
Previous | -- | 175 | 139 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Manufacturing | -1 | 19 | 8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
Construction | 19 | 18 | 51 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 0.2 |
Private Service Producing | 167 | 148 | 101 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 1.9 |
Government | 0 | 9 | -22 | -0.1 | -0.3 | -0.8 | -1.8 |
Average Weekly Hours - Private Sector | 34.5 | 34.3 | 34.4 | 34.5 (Mar'13) |
34.5 | 34.4 | 34.3 |
Average Private Sector Hourly Earnings (%) | -0.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.0 |
Unemployment Rate (%) | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 7.5 (Mar'13) |
7.4 | 8.1 | 8.9 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.