May 2019 Jobs Report

Unemployment Rate: 3.6 percent

Jobs Created: 75,000

Employment and Unemployment

1. The Department of Labor reported the unemployment rate remained at 3.6 percent in May, a near-50-year low.

2. Nonfarm jobs grew by 75,000 in May. Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal had expected 180,000 jobs.

3. Combined job growth for March and April was lower than originally reported. Labor revised the job creation numbers down for March and April by a combined 75,000 jobs. 

4. The U-6 unemployment rate, a measure that also includes part-time and discouraged workers, fell 0.2 percentage point to 7.1 percent.

Labor Force Participation

1. The labor force participation rate, the share of people employed or looking for work, held steady at 62.8 percent.

Wages

1. In May, average hourly earnings for all employees in private nonfarm jobs increased by 6 cents to $27.83. They are up 3.1 percent from a year ago.