The Employment Situation: January 1999 — 1999-02-05

Employment rose in January and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 245,000, about in line with the average for the prior 12 months. Gains occurred in most major industry divisions. Average hourly earnings increased by 6 cents. The number of unemployed persons, 6.0 million, was about unchanged in January, and the unemployment rate held at 4.3 percent, seasonally adjusted. The jobless rate has remained within a narrow range of 4.3 to 4.5 percent since last April. Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for Hispanics fell to 6.6 percent in January. The jobless rates for the other major demographic groups--adult men (3.4 percent), adult women (3.7 percent), teenagers (15.5 percent), whites (3.8 percent), and blacks (7.8 percent)--showed little or no change over the month.