The Employment Situation: May 1997 — 1997-06-06

Nonfarm payroll employment rose in May, and unemployment was about unchanged after falling in April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The number of payroll jobs rose by 138,000 in May, following an increase of 323,000 in April (as revised). The May gain was below the average monthly increase so far this year. The nation�s jobless rate, 4.8 percent in May, has fallen by half a percentage point since the end of last year. Both the number of unemployed persons, 6.5 million, and the unemployment rate, 4.8 percent, were little changed in May. The jobless rate had declined by 0.3 percentage point in April. Among the major demographic groups, the rate for adult men dropped by 0.4 percentage point in May to 3.8 percent, while the rates for adult women (4.5 percent), teenagers (15.6 percent), whites (4.0 percent), blacks (10.3 percent), and Hispanics (7.4 percent) were essentially unchanged.