The Employment Situation: January 2006 — 2006-02-03

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 193,000 in January, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.7 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Job gains occurred in several industries, including construction, mining, food services and drinking places, health care, and financial activities. The number of unemployed persons fell to 7.0 million in January, and the unemployment rate decreased to 4.7 percent, seasonally adjusted. The unemploy- ment rate had ranged from 4.9 to 5.1 percent during most of 2005. The jobless rate for adult men declined to 4.0 percent in January. For other major worker groups--adult women (4.3 percent), teenagers (15.3 percent), whites (4.1 per- cent), blacks (8.9 percent), and Hispanics (5.8 percent)--unemployment rates were essentially unchanged. The rate for black teens, which had an unusually large decline in December, rose to 31.4 percent in January. The unemployment rate for Asians was 3.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted.