The Employment Situation: October 1995 — 1995-11-03

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in October and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 5.5 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The number of payroll jobs increased by 116,000, as several service-producing industries and construction experienced gains. Manufacturing employment was down, reflecting a strike in the aircraft industry. Both the number of unemployed persons and the unemployment rate were about unchanged in October at 7.2 million and 5.5 percent, respectively. The jobless rate has remained in a very narrow range in recent months. The unemployment rate for adult men fell four-tenths of a percentage point in October to 4.5 percent. The rate for blacks (9.9 percent) also fell; this series often fluctuates widely from month to month. The rates for adult women (5.0 percent), teenagers (17.1 percent), whites (4.8 percent), and Hispanics (9.4 percent) showed little or no change.