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Corrected: Temp Jobs Rise by 9,200 in May

June 01, 2012

The number of U.S. temporary help jobs rose by 9,200 in May to approximately 2.49 million after rising by 12,600 in April, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The gain of temp jobs in April was revised down from the initially reported gain of 21,100 jobs.

On a year-over-year basis, temp jobs rose 195,000 in May, or 8.5 percent.

The temporary help penetration was essentially unchanged in May at 1.87.

The employment services category was up 6,100 jobs in May for a total of approximately 3.15 million jobs. The employment services category includes temporary help services as well as employment placement agencies, executive search services and professional employer organizations.

Total nonfarm jobs in the U.S. rose by 69,000 in May to 133.0 million, according to seasonally adjusted numbers from the bureau. The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 8.2 percent in May from 8.1 percent April. The seasonally adjusted college-level unemployment rate, which can serve as a proxy for professional employment, fell to 3.9 percent in May from 4.0 percent in April.

The private sector gained 82,000 jobs in May. The goods-producing sector lost 15,000 jobs while the service-providing sector added 97,000.

Construction lost 28,000 jobs in May. Government employment fell by 13,000 jobs in May, with most of the losses at the state and federal levels.

Employment in the healthcare and social assistance industries rose by 34,000 jobs.