June Payrolls Rise 121,000; Unemployment Rate Holds at 4.6%
.S. payrolls rose by 121,000 in June and the unemployment rate held at 4.6%, matching last month's four-year low, the Labor Department reported Friday.
The jobs gain was less than the 175,000 forecast by analysts, Bloomberg reported. It followed a revised 92,000 rise in May that was bigger than the 75,000 originally reported.
Manufacturing employment gained 15,000 jobs, while construction employment fell by 4,000, the weakest since June of last year.
The unemployment-rate gauge is based on a survey of households. The number of payroll jobs added is determined by a separate survey of business and government establishments.
Because employment levels drive so much economic activity, an increase in employment can help consumer confidence and spending patterns, which affect trucking demand.
