September employment rises
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 336,000 in September, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.8%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on October 6.
The major labor market indicators from the survey of households showed little or no change over the month. The number of unemployed persons was essentially unchanged at 6.4 million.
Both the labor force participation rate, at 62.8 percent, and the employment-population ratio,
at 60.4 percent, were unchanged over the month. (See table A-1.)
In September, the number of persons not in the labor force who currently want a job was 5.5 million, little different from the prior month. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the four weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job.
In September, employment in transportation and warehousing changed little (+9,000).
Truck transportation added 9,000 jobs, following a decline of 25,000 in August that
largely reflected a business closure. Air transportation added 5,000 jobs in September.
Employment in transportation and warehousing 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; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail
trade; financial activities; and other services.
In September, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose
by 7 cents, or 0.2%, to $33.88. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings
have increased by 4.2 percent. In September, average hourly earnings of private-sector
production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 6 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $29.06.
(See tables B-3 and B-8.)
The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at
34.4 hours in September. In manufacturing, the average workweek was little changed at
40.1 hours, and overtime was unchanged at 3.1 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls remained at 33.8 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.
