U.S. Employers Added 157,000 Jobs in January

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published its monthly Employment Situation news release this morning. U.S. employers added 157,000 to payrolls in January, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 7.9 percent. 

The BLS reports that in January, job gains occurred primarily in retail trade (+33,000); construction (+28,000); health care (+23,000); and wholesale trade (+15,000). Revised employment estimates for 2012 showed stronger job gains than originally reported. In 2012, monthly job gains averaged 181,000 per month. Upward revisions to the November 2012 and December 2012 payroll numbers showed gains of 247,000 jobs and 196,000 jobs in the previous two months, an additional 127,000 jobs beyond the originally estimated gains.

Despite job gains, the number of unemployed persons (12.3 million) and the unemployment rate (7.9%) changed little in January. The ranks of the long-term unemployed also showed little improvement; a total of 4.7 million people were jobless for 27 weeks or more.

Additional details can be found in the full news release from the BLS.