The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that total non-farm employment rose by 143,000 in January, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.0 percent. Job gains occurred in health care, retail trade and social assistance. Employment in the mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction industry fell.
This press release provides statistics from two monthly surveys. The Household Survey measures the state of the labor force, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics. The Enterprise Survey measures non-farm employment, hours worked, and earnings by industry. For more information on the statistical concepts and methodology used in these surveys, see Technical Note.
The unemployment rate fell to 4.0 percent in January, after accounting for annual adjustments to population controls. The number of unemployed, at 6.8 million, changed slightly over the course of the month. See note at the end of this press release Among the main groups of workers, unemployment rates for adult men (3.7%) and adult women showed 3.7 Adolescents (11.8%), whites (3.5%), blacks (6.2%), Asians (3.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%) changed little or no at all in January.
The number of long-term unemployed (those unemployed for 27 weeks or more), at 1.4 million, changed slightly in January. The long-term unemployed constituted 21.1% of the total unemployed.
In January, both the labor force participation rate (62.6%) and the employment-to-population ratio (60.1%) remained unchanged.
after accounting for annual adjustments to population controls. Both metrics have been relatively flat in recent months.
The 4.5 million people working part-time for economic reasons changed little in January. These individuals preferred to work full-time but were working part-time because their hours had been reduced or because they could not find full-time jobs.
Job gains in January with decline in mining
Total nonfarm employment increased by 143,000 in January, similar to the average monthly gain of 166,000 in 2024. In January, job gains occurred in healthcare, retail and social assistance. Employment in the mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction industry fell. (See Table B.1. See note at the end of this press release and Table A for further information about the annual comparison process).
Healthcare added 44,000 jobs in January, with gains in hospitals (+14,000), nursing and residential care facilities (+13,000), and home healthcare services (+11,000). Healthcare job growth averaged 57,000 jobs per month in 2024.
Retail employment increased by 34,000 jobs in January. Job gains occurred in general goods retailers (+31,000) and furniture and home furnishings retailers (+5,000).
Electronics and appliance retailers lost 7,000 jobs. Retail employment showed little net change in 2024.
Social assistance added 22,000 jobs in January, led by Individual and Family Services +20,000 and employment rates also rose in the community food, housing, emergency and other relief services (+4,000). Social assistance employment rates grew at an average of 20,000 per month in 2024.
Government employment continued to trend upward in January (+32,000), similar to the average monthly gain in 2024 +38,000.
Employment in the mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction industry fell by 8,000 during the month, after a slight net change in 2024. In January, job losses were concentrated in support activities for mining-8000. Employment showed little change during the month in other key industries, including construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation, storage, information, financial activities, professional and commercial services, entertainment, hospitality and other services.
Decline in employment in industries and changes in the workforce
In January, the employment rate fell by 1.5% over the month in other key industries, including construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation, storage, information, financial activities, professional and commercial services, entertainment, hospitality and other services In January, the employment rate fell by 1.5% over the course of the month in other key industries, including Construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation, storage, information, financial activities, professional and commercial services, entertainment, hospitality and other services.
The numbers of people who are not in the workforce and currently want a job, at 5.5 million, changed little in January. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they had not actively sought work during the four weeks preceding the survey or were not available.
Among those who are not in the labor force and who want a job, the number of people marginally associated with the labor force was at 1.6 million, unchanged fundamentally in January. These individuals wanted to work and were available to him and were looking for a job sometime within the previous twelve months
But they did not look for work in the four weeks leading up to the survey. The number of frustrated workers, a subset of marginally tied people who believe there are no jobs available to them, changed slightly at 592,000 in January.
The employment rate for 15-24-year-olds increased by 31,000 (+1.1%) in January, led by gains among youth (+25,000; +1.8%). The youth employment rate rose 0.6 percentage points to 54.5% in January, the first increase since April 2024.
Among men aged 55 and over, employment fell by 20,000 (-0.8%) in January, partially offsetting the previous month’s gain (+35,000; +1.5%). The employment of women aged 55 and over has not changed much per month.
