Job creation disappointed again in May, with nonfarm payrolls up what normally would be considered a solid 559,000 but still short of lofty expectations, the Labor Department reported Friday.
Payrolls were expected to increase by 671,000, according to economists surveyed by Dow Jones.
The unemployment rate fell to 5.8% from 6.1%, which was better than the estimate of 5.9%. An alternative measure of unemployment that includes discouraged workers and those holding parttime jobs for economic reasons edged lower to 10.2%.
May’s letdown came after April sharply undershot expectations, with the upwardly revised 278,000 still well short of the initial 1 million estimate that came with high hopes for an economy trying to shake loose its pandemic shackles.
Markets were not disappointed by the report. Stock market futures actually rose, with investors continuing to bet that the measured pace of job gains would keep the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates and tightening monetary policy.
Diminishing Covid-19 cases along with a continued brisk pace in vaccines has pushed elected leaders to relax restrictions put in place to halt the spread of the virus. The economy grew at a 6.4% pace in the first quarter and is on track to accelerate at a 10.3% pace in the second quarter, according to the latest reading from the Federal Reserve in Atlanta.
Heading into May, the U.S. economy had recovered about 14.3 million of the 22 million jobs lost in the early days of the pandemic.
The services industry took the biggest hit from the pandemic lockdowns and continued to lead the job creation in May.
Leisure and hospitality added 292,000 positions, with the bulk of 186,000 coming in restaurants and bars.
Public and private education also saw the benefits of reopening, adding 144,000 across the board. Other gains came from health care and social assistance (46,000), information (29,000), manufacturing (23,000), transportation and warehousing (23,000), wholesale trade (20,000) and professional and business services (35,000).
Construction lost 20,000 positions while retail also was down 6,000.
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