The Conference Board’s US Employment Trends Index rose in June to a reading of 128.13 from May’s downwardly revised reading of 126.42. The June reading, which followed a decline in May, is up 1.8% from the same month a year ago.  

“The Employment Trends Index has been moving sideways in the first half of 2016, suggesting only moderate job growth in the coming months,” said Gad Levanon, chief economist, North America, at The Conference Board. “In such an uncertain political and economic environment, US businesses, which in total have been experiencing shrinking profits for over a year, are unlikely to rapidly expand their payrolls.”

June’s increase in the index was driven by positive contributions from all eight components. The largest positive contributor was the ratio of involuntarily part-time to all part-time workers.

The US Department of Labor on Friday reported the US added 287,000 jobs in June and gained 15,200 temp jobs.