May US Job Report – Employment rose by 217,000, returning employment to its pre-recession level, and UR unchanged

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 217,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

Employment increased in professional and business services, health care and social assistance, food services and drinking places, and transportation and warehousing.

Household Survey Data

The unemployment rate held at 6.3 percent in May, following a decline of 0.4 percentagepoint in April. The number of unemployed persons was unchanged in May at 9.8 million.

Over the year, the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed persons declined by 1.2 percentage points and 1.9 million, respectively.

The number of long-term unemployed those jobless for 27 weeks or more was essentiallyunchanged at 3.4 million in May. These individuals accounted for 34.6 percent of theunemployed. Over the past 12 months, the number of long-term unemployed has declined by 979,000. The civilian labor force participation rate was unchanged in May, at 62.8 percent.The participation rate has shown no clear trend since this past October but is down by 0.6percentage point over the year. The employment-population ratio, at 58.9 percent, was also unchanged in May and has changed little over the year.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Employment Situation Summary.

Jobs report brightens economy’s prospects 

U.S. employers maintained a solid pace of hiring in May, returning employment to its pre-recession level and offering confirmation the economy has snapped back from a winter slump.Nonfarm payrolls increased 217,000 last month, the Labor Department said on Friday. Data for March and April was revised to show 6,000 fewer jobs created than previously reported.Economists polled by Reuters had expected employment to increase 218,000 last month.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Jobs report brightens economy’s prospects | Reuters.