U.S. June Payrolls Rise 112,000; Jobless Rate Holds at 5.6%
July 2 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. companies added 112,000 workers to payrolls in June, less than half the median forecast, and factory jobs fell for the first time in five months, suggesting businesses were turning more cautious entering the year's second half.
The unemployment rate held steady at 5.6 percent for a third month, the Labor Department reported in Washington. Job gains in the previous two months also were revised downward by a total of 35,000, to 235,000 in May and 324,000.
``Maybe the economy is losing some of its gloss,'' said Lyle Gramley, a senior economic advisor at Schwab Soundview Capital Markets in Washington and a former Federal Reserve governor, before the report. ``We won't continue to grow as rapidly as we have been, but I think we will continue to generate jobs.''
The creation of 1.3 million jobs so far this year, the biggest six-month gain in four years, has yet to bolster President George W. Bush's job approval rating ahead of the November election. Smaller payroll and wage gains may allow Fed policy makers to keep their commitment to raise the target interest rate at a ``measured'' pace to contain inflation.
The job gains ``aren't enough to maintain the kind of economic growth we have become used to lately,'' said Sung won Sohn, chief economist at Wells Fargo & Co. in Minneapolis, before the report. ``The Fed may decide to skip some of the tightening'' investors are projecting, he said.
Economists had expected payrolls would rise by 250,000 last month following a previously reported increase of 248,000 in May according to the median of 73 forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey. They projected the unemployment rate would hold at 5.6 percent. The number of jobs created this year was the most for any six-month period since December 1999-May 2000.
Bush Ratings
Bush's job approval rating remained near a low for his term, leaving him in a statistical tie with his Democratic challenger, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released Wednesday. The poll showed 40 percent of those surveyed approved of how Bush is handling the economy, compared with 52 percent who disapproved.
``I'm not surprised that the politics are tight here, even though the economy is clearly improving,'' said David Kelly, an economic advisor at Putnam Investments in Boston in an interview Tuesday. Consumers ``spent the income tax refunds. The refinancing is gone. They are waiting for the wage gains.''
Employment in service-producing industries, which include retailers, banks and government agencies, rose 122,000 last month after rising 169,000 in May, according to the Labor Department report. The increase was led by a 39,000 rise in professional and business services, which include temporary help agencies.
Manufacturers lost 11,000 jobs last month, the first decline since January. The manufacturing workweek fell to 40.8 hours from 41.1 in May and overtime held at 4.6 hours for a second month.
Hours and Incomes
Average weekly hours worked for all employees dropped to 33.6 from 33.8 the prior month. Economists had expected hours would hold at 33.8 hours. Last month's funeral for former President Ronald Reagan caused some offices to close and may have contributed to the decline in hours, some economists said.
Workers' average hourly earnings rose 0.1 percent, or 2 cents, after a 0.3 percent increase the previous month. Economists had expected a 0.3 percent increase in hourly wages. Average weekly earnings fell to $525.84 from $528.29 in May.
Rising incomes are needed to keep consumers spending as interest rates rise. Fed policy makers this week raised the target for their benchmark interest rate for the first time in four years, citing ``solid'' growth and ``improved'' employment conditions. The rate rose to 1.25 percent a 46-year low of 1 percent.
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Spending
Consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy, is likely to expand 3.8 percent this year, the most in five years, following a 3.1 percent increase in 2003, according to the median estimate in a separate survey of economists by Bloomberg News last month. That will propel the economy to grow 4.6 percent this year, the most in two decades, according to the survey.
Among blacks, the unemployment rate rose to 10.1 percent from 9.9 percent in May. The jobless rate for Hispanics decreased to 6.7 percent from 7 percent and for whites held at 5 percent for a second month.
For teenagers, unemployment dropped to 16.8 percent last month from 17.2 percent. The jobless rate for women rose to 5 percent from 4.8 percent. The jobless rate for men fell to 5 percent from 5.2 percent.
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