Some economic numbers and info. Just because the economy 5 miles from your house isn't doing well, doesn't mean the national economy is in the tank.
Series Id: lns14000000
Seasonal Adjusted
Series title: (Seas) Unemployment Rate
Labor force status: Unemployment rate
Type of data: Percent
Age: 16 years and over
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1996 5.6 5.5 5.5 5.6 5.6 5.3 5.5 5.1 5.2 5.2 5.4 5.4
1997 5.3 5.2 5.2 5.1 4.9 5.0 4.9 4.8 4.9 4.7 4.6 4.7
1998 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.4
1999 4.3 4.4 4.2 4.3 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.0
2000 4.0 4.1 4.0 3.8 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.1 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9
2001 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.6 4.9 5.0 5.3 5.5 5.7
2002 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.9 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.9 6.0
2003 5.8 5.9 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.3 6.2 6.1 6.1 6.0 5.9 5.7
2004 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.5 5.6 5.6 5.5 5.4 5.4 5.4 5.4 5.4
2005 5.2 5.4 5.1 5.1 5.1 5.0 5.0 4.9 5.1 4.9 5.0 4.9
2006 4.7 4.8
Unemployment data from the U.S. DoL==================================================
Monthly Labor Review OnlineRelated BLS programs | Related articles
ABSTRACT
March 2006, Vol. 129, No. 3
Payroll employment in 2005: recovery and expansion
Robert P. Stephens
Economist, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
E-mail:
stephens.robert@bls.govBrady M. Stephens
Economist, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
David Langdon
Economist, Formerly in the BLS Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics and currently in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Labor.
Employment grew by more than 2 million in 2005, reaching and then surpassing its prerecession peak. A strong housing market spurred hiring in construction and in finance and retail trade, while increased manufacturing production translated into more jobs in trucking, warehousing, and wholesale trade. Rising energy costs placed an added burden on consumers and businesses, holding back spending and, indirectly, employment growth; however, it had a positive impact on employment growth in mining, which easily outpaced most other industries in growth in 2005. Finally, the job openings rate remained flat in 2005 until the end of the third quarter, when it began to edge upwards.
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US service sector growth still strong
April 05, 2006 15:57
The services sector of the US economy showed strong growth in March, a survey by the Institute for Supply Management showed today.
The ISM non-manufacturing index rose to 60.5 from 60.1 in February, topping expectations for a figure of 59. Any figure above 50 indicates expansion, so the report suggested a robust pace of growth in services, which makes up the lion's share of US economic activity.
Among the component indexes, new orders rose to 59.5 from 56.2, while the employment index slipped to 54.6 from 58.2.
Inflation pressures eased. The price index fell to 60.5 from 64.8 in the previous month.
Ralph Kauffman, chair of the survey committee, noted that the index increased for the 36th consecutive month. 'While price increases are still a topic of concern for a number of members, they are not mentioned as often as in past months. The overall indication in March is continued economic growth in the non-manufacturing sector,' he said.
