The Bureau of Labor Statistics said today that the unemployment rate fell to 9.7 percent in January, which surprised many analysts who estimated a jobless rate of 10.1 percent. The number of jobs lost in the non-farm sector were -20,000; analysts had expected an increase of 5,000.
Despite the drop in the unemployment rate, there are disturbing indications for certain worker groups.
See the Bureau of Labor Statistics Release Below:
The unemployment rate fell from 10.0 percent to 9.7 percent in January, and nonfarm payroll employment was essentially unchanged (-20,000), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment fell in construction and in transportation and warehousing, while temporary help services and retail trade added jobs.
Household Survey Data
In January, the number of unemployed persons decreased to 14.8 million, and the unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage point to 9.7 percent.(See Table A-1)
In January, unemployment rates for most major worker groups–adult men (10.0 percent), teenagers (26.4 percent), blacks (16.5 percent), and Hispanics (12.6 percent)–showed little change. The jobless rate for adult women fell to 7.9 percent, and the rate for whites declined to 8.7 percent. The jobless rate for Asians was 8.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted.
(See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
This release includes new household survey tables with information about employment and unemployment of veterans, persons with a disability, and the foreign born.
In January, the unemployment rate of veterans from Gulf War era II (September 2001 to the present) was 12.6 percent, compared with 10.4 percent for nonveterans. Persons with a disability had a higher jobless rate than persons with no disability–15.2 versus 10.4 percent. In addition, the labor force participation rate of persons with a disability was 21.8 percent, compared with 70.1 percent for those without a disability. The unemployment rate for the foreign born was 11.8 percent, and the rate for the native born was 10.3 percent. (The data in these new tables are not seasonally adjusted.) (See tables A-5, A-6, and A-7.)
