By Tom Burnett CFA
On June 6, 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics issued its Employment Report for May. Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 139,000 for the month. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2%, continuing to range between 4.0 and 4.2% as it has since May 2024. Job seekers totaled 7.2 million, unchanged for the month, but less than the most recent Job Openings figure of 7.4 million (June 5, 2025 JOLTS Report.)
Average hourly earnings rose by $0.15 to $36.24, up 3.9% from one year ago.
Revisions to previous reports lowered total employment by 95,000.
The next Employment Report will be issued on July 3, 2025.
Tom Burnett CFA is Director of Research.