The May jobless rate returned to the March level of 4.1 percent after dipping to a 30-year low of 3.9 percent in April, the government said. The jobs picture appeared brighter than the numbers suggest. The government hired 357,000 temporary census workers. But the private sector trimmed 116,000 jobs during May in construction, manufacturing, and retail trade, such as department and grocery stores and restaurants. Most of the slight unemployment rise during the month was among less educated workers and underscores the need for education and training to meet our economy's continuing demand for skilled workers.
Skills are the ticket for the new economy.
Services, which has averaged over 100,000 job gains monthly this year, added just 17,000 positions in May, led by amusement parks and recreation. Within services, computer and data processing services increased a mere 0.1 percent, adding just 3,000 jobs in May, compared with the 8,000 to 10,000 monthly gains the past several months. Engineering and management services, which are highly technical, increased 0.3 percent in May, with 11,000 jobs after creating just 1,000 positions in April. Computer manufacturers continued to cut jobs in May, slicing 3,000, or 0.8 percent, after trimming 2,000 each of the last two months. However, manufacturing of electronic components rose 0.6 percent, adding 4,000 jobs in May on top of the 5,000 jobs the previous month.