Transmission of material in this news release is embargoed until USDL-25-0927
8:30 a.m. (ET) Friday, June 6, 2025
Technical information:
Household data: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps
Establishment data: (202) 691-6555 * cesinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/ces
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- MAY 2025
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 139,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was
unchanged at 4.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment
continued to trend up in health care, leisure and hospitality, and social assistance. Federal
government continued to lose jobs.
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. For more information
about the concepts and statistical methodology used in these two surveys, see the Technical
Note.
Household Survey Data
The unemployment rate held at 4.2 percent in May and has remained in a narrow range of 4.0
percent to 4.2 percent since May 2024. The number of unemployed people, at 7.2 million,
changed little over the month. (See table A-1.)
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (3.9 percent), adult
women (3.9 percent), teenagers (13.4 percent), Whites (3.8 percent), Blacks (6.0 percent),
Asians (3.6 percent), and Hispanics (5.1 percent) showed little or no change over the month.
(See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
The number of people jobless less than 5 weeks increased by 264,000 to 2.5 million in May. The
number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) decreased over the month
by 218,000 to 1.5 million. Both measures were little changed over the year. The long-term
unemployed accounted for 20.4 percent of all unemployed people in May. (See table A-12.)
In May, the employment-population ratio declined by 0.3 percentage point to 59.7 percent. The
labor force participation rate decreased by 0.2 percentage point to 62.4 percent. (See table
A-1.)
The number of people employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.6 million, changed little
in May. These individuals would have preferred full-time employment but were working part time
because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs. (See table
A-8.)
In May, the number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job was little
changed at 6.0 million. 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. (See table A-1.)
Among those not in the labor force who wanted a job, the number of people marginally attached
to the labor force, at 1.6 million, changed little in May. 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, also changed little
over the month at 381,000. (See Summary table A.)
Establishment Survey Data
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 139,000 in May, similar to the average monthly
gain of 149,000 over the prior 12 months. In May, employment continued to trend up in health
care, leisure and hospitality, and social assistance. Federal government continued to lose
jobs. (See table B-1.)
Health care added 62,000 jobs in May, higher than the average monthly gain of 44,000 over the
prior 12 months. In May, job gains occurred in hospitals (+30,000), ambulatory health care
services (+29,000), and skilled nursing care facilities (+6,000).
Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up in May (+48,000), largely in food
services and drinking places (+30,000). Over the prior 12 months, leisure and hospitality had
added an average of 20,000 jobs per month.
In May, social assistance employment continued to trend up (+16,000), reflecting continued
growth in individual and family services (+16,000).
Federal government employment continued to decline in May (-22,000) and is down by 59,000
since January. (Employees on paid leave or receiving ongoing severance pay are counted as
employed in the establishment survey.)
Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining,
quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail
trade; transportation and warehousing; information; financial activities; professional and
business services; and other services.
Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 15 cents, or
0.4 percent, to $36.24 in May. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased
by 3.9 percent. In May, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and
nonsupervisory employees rose by 12 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $31.18. (See tables B-3 and
B-8.)
In May, the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was 34.3 hours for
the third month in a row. In manufacturing, the average workweek was little changed at 40.1
hours, and overtime was unchanged at 2.9 hours. The average workweek for production and
nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls remained at 33.7 hours in May. (See
tables B-2 and B-7.)
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for March was revised down by 65,000, from
+185,000 to +120,000, and the change for April was revised down by 30,000, from +177,000 to
+147,000. With these revisions, employment in March and April combined is 95,000 lower than
previously reported. (Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from
businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the
recalculation of seasonal factors.)
____________
The Employment Situation for June is scheduled to be released on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at
8:30 a.m. (ET).
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| |
| Minor Corrections to Some Household Survey Estimates for April 2025 |
| |
| Corrections have been made to address minor errors in some estimates from the April 2025 |
| household survey. Major labor force measures, such as the unemployment rate, labor force |
| participation rate, and employment-population ratio, were unaffected. These errors were |
| associated with the introduction of a redesigned household survey sample, and the impact of |
| the correction was negligible. More information, including a list of affected series, is |
| available at www.bls.gov/bls/errata/cps-corrections-april-2025.htm. |
|________________________________________________________________________________________________|
________________________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Establishment Survey Estimates for April 2025 Reflect Movement of Workers Between Industries |
| |
| April estimates from the establishment survey reflect the movement of workers between two |
| different industries: home health care services and individual and family services. Changes in |
| the administration of a New York state program caused workers who had previously been paid by |
| establishments in the home health care services component of the health care industry to be |
| included on payrolls in the individual and family services component of social assistance. |
| This movement is reflected in the April 2025 estimates and contributed to an employment |
| decline in health care and an employment gain in social assistance. |
|________________________________________________________________________________________________|
United States Department of Labor
