Environmental Career Center – Helping people work for a better environment since 1980

U.S. economic employment  started the new year strong.  The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today (February 3) that employers added 243,000jobs in January with the unemployment rate dropping to 8.3% from 8.5% in December .  That’s nearly 100,000 more  jobs than economists projected.  Additionally, employment for November and December was revised upward by 60,000.  The BLS reports that “job growth was widespread, with large gains in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing”.  

The unemployment rate averaged 8.9 percent last year, down from 9.6 percent the previous year.   Regarding government employment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that “ government employment changed little in January.  Over the past 12 months, the sector has lost 276,000 jobs, with declines in local government; state government, excluding education; and the U.S. Postal Service.

Economists estimate that employers will add about 2.1 million jobs in 2012.  That compares to 1.6 million in 2011 and 940,000 in 2010.  125,000 are needed each month just to keep up with the growth in the potential labor force.    This is the fifth month in a row in which the economy generated 100,000 jobs or more.