Quikrete Industry Dashboard: jobs report
The latest edition of the Quikrete Industry Dashboard is updated with the latest unemployment stats. In May, the closely watched metric increased to 4.0 percent, up slightly from 3.9 percent in April.
The jobs numbers were released Friday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. They showed total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 272,000 in May.
Specifically in May, employment in retail trade continued to trend up (+13,000), about in line with the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months (+8,000). Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers added 12,000 jobs in May, while job losses occurred in department stores (-5,000) and furniture and home furnishings retailers (-4,000).
Employment continued to trend up in several industries, led by health care; government; leisure and hospitality; and professional, scientific, and technical services.
Gas prices
Elsewhere on the Quikrete Industry Dashboard, gas prices as tracked by the American Automobile Association declined in the latest weekly reading. The average price for a gallon of regular stands at $3.47, down from $3.64 a month ago.
A year ago, a gallon of gas averaged $3.55, according to the AAA.
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Coming next: The U.S. Census Bureau will release the Advanced Monthly Sales Report for NAICS 444 (May) and NAICS 44413 (April) on June 18.
