WASHINGTON (July 2, 2015) — Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 223,000 jobs in June 2015, and the unemployment rate inched down to 5.3 percent, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The biggest job gains were in professional and business services (up 64,000), health care (up 40,000) and retail trade (up 30,000), the BLS said July 2. Transportation and warehousing added 17,000 jobs in June, but manufacturing, construction and wholesale trade were virtually unchanged, and mining fell by 4,000 jobs, the agency said.
The day before the BLS issued its employment report, payroll services firm ADP Inc. issued its monthly National Employment Report, based on its own payroll records. According to ADP, the U.S. added 237,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in June.
Small businesses once again led monthly job creation, with 120,000 new jobs in June. Some 71,000 of those jobs were in the smallest businesses (1-19 employees), and 49,000 were in businesses with 20 to 49 employees.
Medium-sized businesses (50-499 employees) increased employment by 86,000 in June, while large businesses lagged behind. Only 27,000 jobs were created in businesses with 500 to 999 employees, while businesses with 1,000 employees or more added only 5,000 jobs, ADP said.
Of the new jobs, 225,000 were in service-providing sectors and only 12,000 in goods-producing sectors, ADP said. Private-sector franchise jobs grew by 28,000 for the month, of which 7,570 were in automobile dealerships and parts stores, it said.
Scott Paul, president of the American Alliance for Manufacturing, bemoaned the continuing anemic employment picture in the manufacturing sector.
“Manufacturing gained a mere 4,000 jobs in June,” Mr. Paul said. “While it's important that we continue in a positive direction, it's clear the sector's growth rate isn't on par with the rest of the economy. Factory jobs are being stifled by a strong dollar and rising manufacturing imports.”