January’s jobs report shows huge job gains

Staff

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 467,000 in January, and the unemployment edged up to 4.0 percent compared to December at 3.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

Employment growth continued in leisure and hospitality, in professional and business services, in retail trade, and in transportation and warehousing.

This news release presents statistics from two monthly surveys. The household survey measures labor force status, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics.

The establishment survey measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry.

The total nonfarm employment level for March 2021 was revised upward by 374,000. On a not seasonally adjusted basis, total nonfarm employment for March 2021 was revised downward by 7,000, or less than -0.05 percent. Not seasonally adjusted, the absolute average benchmark revision over the past 10 years is 0.1 percent.

Overall, the 2021 over-the-year change is 217,000 higher than previously reported.

In January, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 23 cents to $31.63. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 5.7 percent.

In January, the average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 17 cents to $26.92.

Household Survey Data

Both the unemployment rate, at 4.0 percent, and the number of unemployed persons, at 6.5 million, changed little in January. Over the year, the unemployment rate is down by 2.4 percentage points, and the number of unemployed persons declined by 3.7 million.

In February 2020, prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, and unemployed persons numbered 5.7 million.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (3.8 percent) and Whites (3.4 percent) edged up in January. The jobless rates for adult women (3.6 percent), teenagers (10.9 percent), Blacks (6.9 percent), Asians (3.6 percent), and Hispanics (4.9 percent) showed little or no change over the month.

Among the unemployed, the number of job leavers increased to 952,000 in January, following a decrease in the prior month.

The number of persons on temporary layoff, at 959,000 in January, also increased over the month but is down by 1.8 million over the year.

The number of permanent job losers, at 1.6 million, changed little in January but is down by 1.9 million from a year earlier.

In January, the number of persons jobless less than 5 weeks increased to 2.4 million and accounted for 37.0 percent of the total unemployed. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) declined to 1.7 million.

This measure is down from 4.0 million a year earlier but is 570,000 higher than in February 2020. The long-term unemployed accounted for 25.9 percent of the total unemployed in January.

After accounting for the annual adjustments to the population controls, the labor force participation rate held at 62.2 percent in January, and the employment-population ratio was little changed at 59.7 percent.

Both measures are up over the year but remain below their February 2020 levels (63.4 percent and 61.2 percent, respectively).

The number of persons employed part-time for economic reasons, at 3.7 million, continued to trend down over the month.

The over-the-year decline of 2.2 million brings this measure to 673,000 below its February 2020 level.

These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part-time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs.

The number of persons not in the labor force who currently want a job was little changed at 5.7 million in January.

This measure decreased by 1.3 million over the year but is 708,000 higher than in February 2020.

These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the 4 weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job.

Among those not in the labor force who wanted a job, the number of persons marginally attached to the labor force, at 1.5 million, changed little in January.

These individuals wanted and were available for work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months but had not looked for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

The number of discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached who believed that no jobs were available for them, was also little changed over the month, at 408,000.

Household Survey Supplemental Data

In January, the share of employed persons who teleworked because of the coronavirus pandemic increased to 15.4 percent. These data refer to employed persons who teleworked or worked at home for pay at some point in the 4 weeks preceding the survey specifically because of the pandemic.

In January, 6.0 million persons reported that they had been unable to work because their employer closed or lost business due to the pandemic–that is, they did not work at all or worked fewer hours at some point in the 4 weeks preceding the survey due to the pandemic.

This measure is considerably higher than the level of 3.1 million in December.

Among those who reported in January that they were unable to work because of pandemic-related closures or lost business, 23.7 percent received at least some pay from their employer for the hours not worked, up from the prior month.

Among those not in the labor force in January, 1.8 million persons were prevented from looking for work due to the pandemic, up from 1.1 million in the prior month. To be counted as unemployed, by definition, individuals must be either actively looking for work or on temporary layoff.

These supplemental data come from questions added to the household survey beginning in May 2020 to help gauge the effects of the pandemic on the labor market. This data is not seasonally adjusted.

Establishment Survey Data

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 467,000 in January, compared with an average monthly gain of 555,000 in 2021.

Nonfarm employment has increased by 19.1 million since April 2020 but is down by 2.9 million, or 1.9 percent, from its pre-pandemic level in February 2020. In January, employment growth continued in leisure and hospitality, in professional and business services, in retail trade, and in transportation and warehousing.

Employment in leisure and hospitality expanded by 151,000 in January, reflecting job gains in food services and drinking places (+108,000) and in the accommodation industry (+23,000). Since February 2020, employment in leisure and hospitality is down by 1.8 million, or 10.3 percent.

In January, professional and business services added 86,000 jobs.

Job gains occurred in management and technical consulting services (+16,000), computer systems design and related services (+15,000), architectural and engineering services (+8,000), and other professional and technical services (+7,000). Employment in temporary help services continued to trend up (+26,000).

Employment in professional and business services is 511,000 higher than in February 2020, largely in temporary help services (+185,000), computer systems design and related services (+161,000), and management and technical consulting services (+151,000).

Retail trade employment rose by 61,000 in January.

Job growth occurred in general merchandise stores (+29,000); health and personal care stores (+11,000); sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores (+7,000); and building material and garden supply stores (+6,000). Retail trade employment is 61,000 above its level in February 2020.

Employment in transportation and warehousing increased by 54,000 in January and is 542,000 higher than in February 2020.

In January, job gains occurred in couriers and messengers (+21,000), warehousing and storage (+13,000), truck transportation (+8,000), and air transportation (+7,000). All four of these component industries have surpassed their February 2020 employment levels, with particularly strong growth in warehousing and storage (+410,000) and couriers and messengers (+236,000).

Employment in local government education rose by 29,000 in January but is down by 359,000, or 4.4 percent, since February 2020.

Employment in health care continued to trend up (+18,000) over the month but is down by 378,000, or 2.3 percent, from its level in February 2020.

Wholesale trade added 16,000 jobs in January, with gains in both durable goods (+11,000) and nondurable goods (+8,000).

Employment in wholesale trade is 125,000, or 2.1 percent, lower than in February 2020.

Employment showed little change over the month in mining, construction, manufacturing, information, financial activities, and other services.  

The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls fell by 0.2 hour to 34.5 hours in January.

In manufacturing, the average workweek edged down by 0.1 hour to 40.2 hours, and overtime edged up by 0.1 hour to 3.3 hours.

The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls decreased by 0.2  hour to 33.9 hours.