Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2014-02-07

Advance copies of this statement are made available to the press under lock-up conditions with the explicit understanding that the data are embargoed until 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 113,000 in January, and the unemployment rate, at 6.6 percent, changed little. Private-sector employment grew by 142,000. Employment rose in construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, and mining. Incorporating the revisions for November and December, which increased nonfarm employment by 34,000 on net, monthly job gains have averaged 154,000 over the past 3 months. In 2013, employment growth averaged 194,000 per month. Construction added 48,000 jobs in January, more than offsetting a loss in December. In January, employment rose in both residential and nonresidential building (+13,000 and +8,000, respectively) and in nonresidential specialty trade contractors (+13,000). Heavy and civil engineering construction added 10,000 jobs. Manufacturing employment increased by 21,000 in January.