BLS

As the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, in May, only 138,000 jobs were created, fewer than Wall Street’s estimated 185,000. According to Fox Business News, in a pre-release poll of 100,000 economists, the lowest predicted jobs total was 140,000. Coming in 2,000 jobs lower than the most pessimistic estimate proves how bad the May report is.

President Donald Trump’s election encouraged economists that more jobs would soon be on the way. But the April Bureau of Labor Statistics report, while better than anticipated and only the second of the Trump administration, looked disappointingly similar to the uninspiring jobs data during President Obama’s two terms.

The March Bureau of Labor Statistics report is surely not what President Trump wished for. The economy added a measly 98,000 jobs, the lowest total since May 2016.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics sort-of-okay jobs report for February isn’t the week’s most significant economic news. BLS data showed that in February the economy added 235,000 jobs, slightly above expectations. The labor participation rate increased from 62.9 percent to 63 percent, while unemployment remained unchanged at 4.7 percent. More details that include strong construction hiring, but weak wage growth, are on the BLS website here.

In the Trump administration’s first Bureau of Labor Statistics report, January data had a mix of good, bad and ugly news. The good: Employment increased by 227,000 jobs, slightly higher than Wall Street’s prediction. And the labor force participation rate rose slightly to 62.9 percent from last month’s 62.7 percent.

In December, the economy created 157,000 jobs, about 20,000 less than Wall Street analysts predicted. Of those 156,000 jobs, 41,000 were part-time. A record 95.1 million people are not in the labor market, an 18,000 increase from the last month, and an astronomical 841,000 bump over the last three months.

Analysts hoped that the October economy would have generated 175,000 new jobs. The actual number the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported was even less inspiring, 161,000 of the usual low-paying, part-time jobs. Changed little over the past month was employment in major industries, including mining, construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade and transportation.

This summer, my granddaughter had a part-time job as a cashier at a large box store retailer. Last month, before she left for college, I told her – kidding on the square – that her cashier’s job may be the best one she’ll ever have even after she earns her diploma.