Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2012-02-03

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. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the employment and unemployment data we released this morning. The unemployment rate decreased to 8.3 percent in January, and nonfarm payroll employment rose by 243,000. In 2011, nonfarm employment increased by an average of 152,000 per month. Job growth was widespread in the private sector in January, with the largest gains occurring in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and manufacturing. Professional and business services added 70,000 jobs over the month, compared with an average monthly gain of 48,000 in 2011. Nearly half of the January increase occurred in employment services (+33,000), as temporary help employment continued to trend up. Also within professional and business services, employment rose in accounting and bookkeeping (+13,000) and in architectural and engineering services (+7,000).