07/07/2023
The latest jobs report spells good news for the fight against inflation. The Labor Department announced today that payrolls rose by only 209,000 in June, well under the 240,000 expected by economists. The jobless level came in as expected at 3.6%. The number of new jobs was down considerably from May’s 306,000 number, which stirred concerns that the Fed will need to get more aggressive about raising rates to tame inflation. June job gains were made in the government, health care, social assistance, and construction sectors, while losses occurred in retail, transportation, and warehousing.
Despite many forecasts, the labor market is keeping a recession at bay for now, as workers have higher wages and more job security – leading them to spend more on travel, eating out, leisure activities, and other higher priced expenses. This makes the economy’s future difficult to read. Will we continue to grow, or will we slip into a recession? We will dive into this and a full economic analysis in our soon to be released quarterly market report, Risks and Opportunities.
Hiring eased slightly in June, as employers added 209,000 jobs, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate fell to 3.6%.