Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 146,000 in January and the unemployment rate decreased to 5.2 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Job growth continued in several service-providing industries, while manufacturing employment declined over the month.
Both the number of unemployed persons, 7.7 million, and the unemployment rate, 5.2 percent, declined in January. The jobless rate was down from 5.7 percent a year earlier.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics