Construction a big winner in August jobs report
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 142,000 in August, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.2%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
August was in line with average job growth in recent months but was below the average monthly gain of 202,000 over the prior 12 months.
Construction employment rose by 34,000 in August, higher than the average monthly gain of 19,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, heavy and civil engineering construction added 14,000 jobs, and employment in nonresidential specialty trade contractors continued to trend up (+14,000).
Employment in manufacturing edged down in August (-24,000), reflecting a decline of 25,000 in durable goods industries. Manufacturing employment has shown little net change over the year.
Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining,
quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and
warehousing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure
and hospitality; other services; and government.
In August, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by14 cents, or 0.4%, to $35.21. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have
increased by 3.8%. In August, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and
nonsupervisory employees increased by 11 cents, or 0.4%, to $30.27. (See tables B-3 and
B-8.)
The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged up by 0.1 hour to 34.3 hours in August. In manufacturing, the average workweek changed little at 40.0 hours, and overtime edged up by 0.1 hour to 3.0 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls remained at 33.7 hours.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The November/December issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Kimball Midwest. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dirk Beveridge, Frank Hurtte, and Mike Marks, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
