The Employment Situation: May 1999 — 1999-06-04

The unemployment rate, at 4.2 percent, was little changed in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The number of nonfarm payroll jobs edged up by 11,000, following a large increase of 343,000 in April (as revised). In May, substantial job losses occurred in manufacturing and construction, while the services industry had a relatively small gain. The number of unemployed persons, 5.8 million, and the unemployment rate, 4.2 percent, were little changed in May. The rate has been below 4.5 percent since November 1998. Over the month, jobless rates declined for adult women (3.6 percent) and teenagers (12.6 percent). Unemployment rates for adult men (3.6 percent), whites (3.7 percent), blacks (7.5 percent), and Hispanics (6.7 percent) were virtually unchanged in May. (See tables A-1 and A-2.) The civilian labor force, at 139.0 million, and the labor force participation rate, at 67.0 percent, were essentially unchanged from April.