Daily News

View All News

US adds 16,100 temp jobs in April, overall job growth rebounds

May 08, 2015

The US had 16,100 more temp jobs in April than March, an improvement from the month-over-month increase of 13,200 in March and a decline in February, according to seasonally adjusted numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of temp jobs added in March was also revised up by 1,800.

In addition, the temp penetration rate in April rose to 2.038% from March’s rate of 2.029%. The penetration rate reflects temporary help services jobs as a percent of total US nonfarm employment.

The US overall added 223,000 nonfarm jobs month over month, a substantial improvement from the 85,000 added in March (as revised). Job gains occurred in professional and business services, healthcare and construction; Mining employment continued to decline.

Job gains came close to the average monthly change over the past year, according to The Conference Board.

“Still, taking an average of the past several months and considering the weak GDP numbers, we expect slower employment growth in 2015 than in 2014,” The Conference Board stated.

The US unemployment rate was edged down to 5.4% in April from 5.5% in March. However, the college-level unemployment rate, which can serve as a proxy for professional employment, rose to 2.7% in April from 2.5% in March.

Click on charts to enlarge.