US unemployment falls to 4.1% as economy adds 147,000 jobs in June

Most job gains were in the state government and healthcare sectors. State government employment rose by 47,000, largely driven by a 40,000-job increase in education. The Federal government sector continued to decline, with a loss of 7,000 positions in June, contributing to a total loss of 69,000 jobs since January, BLS said in a press release on the US’ employment situation.

The labour force participation rate remained steady at 62.3 per cent, while the employment-population ratio held at 59.7 per cent. The number of people employed part-time for economic reasons remained at 4.5 million.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for Blacks rose to 6.8 per cent, while rates for adult women and Whites decreased to 3.6 per cent. The jobless rates for teenagers (14.4 per cent), Asians (3.5 per cent), and Hispanics (4.8 per cent) showed little or no change.

The number of long-term unemployed individuals (jobless for 27 weeks or more) increased by 190,000 to 1.6 million, making up 23.3 per cent of all unemployed people.

The average hourly wage for private nonfarm payroll employees increased by 8 cents, or 0.2 per cent, to $36.30. Over the past year, hourly wages have risen by 3.7 per cent. Meanwhile, the average workweek for all private-sector employees slightly decreased by 0.1 hour to 34.2 hours.

The number of marginally attached workers—those who want a job but aren't actively seeking—rose by 234,000 to 1.8 million. Additionally, the number of discouraged workers (marginally attached individuals who believe no jobs are available) rose by 256,000 to 637,000.

Revisions to previous months' figures showed the April 2025 employment figures were revised up by 11,000, from 147,000 to 158,000, and the May 2025 numbers were revised up by 5,000, from 139,000 to 144,000. Combined, these revisions show an additional 16,000 jobs compared to earlier reports, added the release.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (SG)