Employment rose by 2.5 million in May and the jobless rate declined to 13.3%, according to data Friday from the Labor Department that was better than economists had been expecting and indicated that an economic turnaround could be close at hand.
Key takeaways:
- Non-farm payrolls rose by 2.5 million in May and the unemployment rate fell to 13.3%.
- Wall Street estimates had been for a decline of 8.3 million and a jobless level of 19.5%, which would have been the worst since the Great Depression era.
- Much of the gain came from those classified as temporary layoffs due to the coronavirus-related economic shutdown.
- Leisure and hospitality represented almost half the jobs gained.
The country is not out of the clear yet, especially with a possible second wave expected, but this is some positive (even if temporary) news.