Advance copies of this statement are made available to the press 

under lock-up conditions with the explicit understanding that 

the data are embargoed until 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. 

Statement of 

Erica L. Groshen 

Commissioner 

Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Friday, February 6, 2015

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 257,000 in January, 

and the unemployment rate, at 5.7 percent, was little changed. 

Job gains occurred in retail trade, construction, health care, 

financial activities, and manufacturing. 

After incorporating revisions that increased total nonfarm 

employment by 147,000 for November and December combined 

(including the impact of the annual benchmark process), monthly 

job gains have averaged 336,000 over the past 3 months. In 2014, 

employment growth averaged 260,000 per month. 

Retail trade added 46,000 jobs in January. Employment 

increased in sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores 

(+9,000); motor and vehicle parts dealers (+8,000); and nonstore 

retailers (+6,000). 

Construction employment increased by 39,000 in January. 

Job gains occurred in residential and nonresidential building 
 

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(+13,000 and +7,000, respectively). In 2014, employment growth 

in construction averaged 28,000 per month. 

Health care added 38,000 jobs in January. Employment rose 

in offices of physicians (+13,000), hospitals (+10,000), and 

nursing and residential care facilities (+7,000). Job growth in 

health care averaged 26,000 per month in 2014. 

Employment in financial activities increased by 26,000 in 

January, with about half the gain in insurance carriers and 

related activities (+14,000). Employment in the securities 

industry rose by 5,000. In 2014, financial activities added 

159,000 jobs. 

Manufacturing employment increased by 22,000 in January. 

Job gains occurred in motor vehicles and parts (+7,000) and wood 

products (+4,000). Over the past 12 months, employment in 

manufacturing has grown by 228,000. 

Employment in professional and technical services rose by 

33,000 in January. Within the industry, job gains occurred in 

architectural and engineering services (+8,000) and computer 

systems design (+8,000). In 2014, professional and technical 

services added an average of 25,000 jobs per month. 

Food services and drinking places employment continued to 

trend up (+35,000) in January, in line with average job growth 

in 2014. 
 

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Average hourly earnings of all employees on private 

nonfarm payrolls rose by 12 cents to $24.75 in January, 

following a decline of 5 cents in December. Over the past 12 

months, average hourly earnings have risen by 2.2 percent. From 

December 2013 to December 2014, the Consumer Price Index for All 

Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased by 0.7 percent. 

Turning to the survey of households, the unemployment rate 

was little changed at 5.7 percent in January. The jobless rate 

has shown no net change since October. There were 9.0 million 

unemployed persons in January, little different from the prior 

month. The number of unemployed persons who had been jobless for 

27 weeks or more was essentially unchanged (2.8 million). These 

individuals accounted for 31.5 percent of the total unemployed. 

The labor force participation rate increased by 0.2 

percentage points to 62.9 percent in January, following a 

decline of the same magnitude in the prior month. The 

employment-population ratio was little changed at 59.3 percent 

in January. Among the employed, the number of persons working 

part time for economic reasons was 6.8 million, about unchanged 

over the month. These individuals would have preferred full-time 

employment, but had their hours cut or were unable to find fulltime work. 

Following our usual practice, there were routine annual 

adjustments to the data from our two surveys. The establishment 
 

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survey data released today reflect the incorporation of annual 

benchmark revisions. Each year, we re-anchor our sample-based 

survey estimates to full universe counts of employment, 

primarily derived from the Quarterly Census of Employment and 

Wages, which enumerates jobs covered by the unemployment 

insurance tax system. (Additional information about the 

benchmark revision and its impact is contained in our news 

release and on our website at 

www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesbmart.htm.) 

Household survey data for January reflect updated 

population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. This year, the 

impact of the new controls on the unemployment rate and other 

ratios is negligible. (Further information can be found in our 

news release and on our website at 

www.bls.gov/cps/cps15adj.pdf.) 

In summary, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 

257,000 in January, and the unemployment rate was little changed 

at 5.7 percent.