Job gains resume in May; spending grows in April; Beige Book notes expansion
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Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 175,000, seasonally adjusted, in May and 2,115,000 (1.6%) over 12 months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Construction employment rose by 7,000 for the month and totaled 5,804,000, seasonally adjusted, the highest mark since August 2009 and a gain of 189,000 (3.4%) over the past year. Total hours worked in construction increased by 5.2% over 12 months, implying that contractors are lengthening working hours and also hiring new workers. Residential construction employment (residential building and specialty trade contractors) rose by 5,500, seasonally adjusted, for the month and 94,400 (4.6%) for the year. Nonresidential employment (building, specialty trades, and heavy and civil engineering construction) rose by 1,700 and 95,500 (2.7%), respectively. Architectural and engineering services employment, a harbinger of future demand for construction, rose 2.1% over the year. The unemployment rate for jobseekers who last worked in construction tumbled to the lowest May level in five years--10.8%, down from 14.2% in May 2012 and a May high of 20.1% in 2010. The number of unemployed former construction workers shrank by 259,000 over the year, implying that workers are leaving the industry as well as being rehired. (Industry unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted and should only be compared year-over-year, not across months.) [node:read-more:link]