By Lucia Mutikani
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - - U.S. employment rose at a solid clip in July and wages rebounded after a surprise stall in the prior month, signs of an improving economy that could open
the door wider to a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in September.
Nonfarm payrolls increased 215,000 last month as a pickup in construction ad manufacturing employment offset further declines in the mining sector, the Labor Department said on Friday. The unemployment rate held at a seven-year low of 5.3 percent.
Payrolls data for May and June were revised to show 14,000
more jobs created than previously reported. In addition, the
average workweek increased to 34.6 hours, the highest since
February, from 34.5 hours in June.
Though hiring has slowed from last year's robust pace, it
remains at double the rate needed to keep up with population
growth. The Fed last month upgraded its assessment of the labor
market, describing it as continuing to "improve, with solid job
gains and declining unemployment."
Average hourly earnings increased five cents, or 0.2
percent, last month after being flat in June. That put them 2.1
percent above their year-ago level, but left them well shy of
the 3.5 percent growth rate economists associate with full
employment.
Still, the gain supports views that a sharp slowdown in
compensation growth in the second quarter and consumer spending
in June were temporary. Economists polled by Reuters had
forecast nonfarm payrolls increasing 223,000 last month and the
unemployment rate holding steady at 5.3 percent.
Wage growth has been disappointingly slow. But tightening
labor market conditions and decisions by several state and local
governments to raise their minimum wage have fueled expectations
of a pickup.
In addition, a number of retailers, including Walmart
, the nation's largest private employer, Target
and TJX Cos have increased pay for hourly workers.
NEARING FULL EMPLOYMENT
The jobless rate is near the 5.0 percent to 5.2 percent
range most Fed officials think is consistent with a steady but
low level of inflation.
A broad measure of joblessness that includes people who want
to work but have given up searching and those working part-time
because they cannot find full-time employment fell to 10.4
percent, the lowest since June 2008, from 10.5 percent in June.
The labor force participation rate, or the share of
working-age Americans who are employed or at least looking for a
job, held at a more than 37-1/2-year low of 62.6 percent.
The fairly healthy employment report added to robust July
automobile sales and service industries data in suggesting the
economy continues to gather momentum after growing at a 2.3
percent annual rate in the second quarter.
Employment gains in July were concentrated in service
industries. At the same time, construction payrolls rose 6,000
thanks to a strengthening housing market, after being unchanged
in June. Factory employment increased 15,000 as some automakers
have decided to forgo a usual summer plant shutdown for
retooling. Manufacturing payrolls rose 2,000 in June.
More layoffs in the energy sector, which is grappling with
last year's sharp decline in crude oil prices, were a drag on
mining payrolls, which shed 4,000 jobs in July.
Oilfield giants Schlumberger and Halliburton
and many others in the oil and gas industry have announced
thousands of job cuts in the past few months.
(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Clive McKeef and Paul
Simao)
((Lucia.Mutikani@thomsonreuters.com; 1 202 898 8315; Reuters
Messaging: lucia.mutikani.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))