Tag: Employment

Job Openings Outpaces Unemployment Again: July 9 – 13

Job Openings Outpaces Unemployment Again: July 9 – 13

Kevin Roth

Employers continue to struggle to fill their job openings. Here are the five things we learned from U.S. economic data released during the week ending July 13.

#1There remain more job openings than people unemployed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there were a seasonally adjusted 6.638 million job openings at the end of May. While down 202,000 from the prior month, the count of job openings was not only 16.7 percent larger than that of a year earlier but also higher than the 6.065 million people the BLS had reported being jobless in last week’s employment report. Private sector job openings have grown 16.6 percent over the past year, with some of largest year-to-year percentage gains seen for construction (+32.8 percent), transportation/warehousing (+28.9 percent), manufacturing (+24.6 percent), and professional/business services (+20.6 percent). During the same month, hiring grew by 268,000 to 5.754 million (+4.9 percent versus June 2017). Private sector hiring has risen 5.2 percent over the past year, with substantial year-to-year percentage gains seen in transportation/warehousing (+11.6 percent), health care/social assistance (+9.7 percent), accommodation/food services (+9.6 percent), professional/business services (+5.3 percent), and manufacturing (+4.2 percent). 5.468 million people left their jobs during June, an increase of 44,000 for the month and up 3.8 percent from a year earlier. This included a record 3.561 million people voluntarily quitting their jobs (increasing 212,000 for the month and 10.4 percent over the past year), reflecting the robust employment opportunities for workers.Job Openings Unemployment 071318.png

#2Consumer prices grew at a slower rate in June, thanks to lower electricity and natural gas prices. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis, following two consecutive 0.2 percent monthly gains, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Energy prices fell 0.3 percent (its first drop since March), thanks to lower electricity and natural gas prices. Meanwhile, gasoline prices grew 0.5 percent. Food CPI increased 0.2 percent. Net of energy and food, core CPI expanded 0.2 percent for the fourth time in five months. Growing during June were prices for used cars/trucks (+0.7 percent), medical care services (+0.5 percent), new vehicles (+0.4 percent), transportation services (+0.2 percent), and shelter (+0.1 percent). On the other end of the spectrum, apparel prices slumped 0.9 percent. CPI has risen 2.9 percent over the past year, while core CPI has a 12-month comparable of +2.3 percent.

#3Meanwhile, wholesale prices firmed further. The Producer Price Index (PPI) for final demand jumped 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in June, down from May’s 0.5 percent bounce. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ core measure for wholesale prices—final demand PPI net of energy, food and trade services—grew by a more modest 0.1 percent. Energy PPI blossomed 0.8 percent, with prices for fuels and lubricants surging 21.8 percent. Food PPI, however, fell 1.1 percent as vegetable prices plummeted 13.8 percent. Net of energy and food, core goods PPI increased 0.3 percent. PPI for final demand services grew 0.4 percent, its largest single-month rise since January. Trade services PPI (a measure of retailer and wholesaler margins) jumped 0.7 percent in June after rising 0.9 percent during May. Over the past year, PPI has increased 3.4 percent, with the core measure of wholesale prices growing 2.7 percent over the past 12 months.

#4Even with a slight pullback, small business owners remained confident in June. The Small Business Optimism Index from the National Federation of Independent Business lost 6/10ths of a point during the month to a seasonally adjusted 107.2 (1986=100). Even with the decline, the index has been above a reading of 100 for 19 consecutive months. Five of the index components improved during the month (including those for current inventories and current job openings) while the other five lost ground (including those for expected real sales and whether it is a good time to expand). The press release argued that the “first six months of the year have been very good to small business thanks to tax cuts, regulatory reform, and policies that help them grow.”

#5The U.S. budget deficit continued to pace ahead of that from last year. Per the Department of the Treasury, the federal government ran a budget deficit of -$74.9 billion. Receipts totaled $316.3 billion for the month (down 6.6 percent from the same month a year earlier) while expenditures were $391.1 billion (8.8 percent smaller than that of June 2017). Over the first nine months of FY2018, the U.S. government has run up a -$607.1 billion trade deficit, up 16.1 percent from the same nine months during the previous fiscal year. Receipt collected over these nine months—$2.540 trillion—was pacing 1.3 percent ahead of that from the same period in FY2018. Over this same time period, personal income tax collections were 8.9 percent larger than that of a year earlier while corporate taxes were down 27.6 percent. Expenditures totaled $3.148 trillion, up 3.8 percent from the nine-month total of a year earlier.

Other U.S. economic data released over the past week:
– Jobless Claims (week ending July 7, 2018, First-Time Claims, seasonally adjusted): 214,000 (-18,000 vs. previous week; -30,000 vs. the same week a year earlier). 4-week moving average: 223,000 (-9.2% vs. the same week a year earlier).
– Import Prices (June 2018, All Imports, not seasonally adjusted): -0.4% vs. May 2018, +4.3% vs. June 2017. Nonfuel imports: -0.3% vs. May 2018, +1.5% vs. June 2017.
– Export Prices (June 2018, All Exports, not seasonally adjusted): +0.3% vs. May 2018, +5.3% vs. June 2017. Nonagricultural exports: +0.4% vs. May 2018, +5.4% vs. June 2017.
– University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment (July 2018-preliminary, Index of Consumer Sentiment, seasonally adjusted): 97.1 (vs. June 2018: 98.2, vs. July 2017: 93.4).
– Consumer Credit (May 2018, Outstanding Consumer Credit-net of real estate-backed loans, seasonally adjusted): $3.898 trillion (+$24.5 billion vs. April 2018, +4.8% vs. May 2017). 

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Kevin’s current employer. No endorsements are implied.

Hiring Remains Firm, Trade Deficit Shrinks: July 2 – 6

Hiring Remains Firm, Trade Deficit Shrinks: July 2 – 6

Kevin Roth

Employers continued to hire in June while the trade deficit fell to a 1.5 year low in May. Here are the five things we learned from U.S. economic data released during the week ending July 6.  

#1The labor market remained hot during the open days of summer. Nonfarm employers expanded their payrolls by 213,000 workers, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While down from the 244,000 added jobs in May, it essentially matched the 213,700 monthly average of the past year. Private sector employers added 202,000 jobs during June, split by 53,000 workers in the goods-producing side of the economy and 149,000 positions in the service sector. Industries adding the most jobs during the month were professional/business services (+50,000), manufacturing (+36,000), health care/social assistance (+34,700), and leisure/hospitality (+25,000). Retailers, on the other hand, shed 21,600 workers during the month. The average workweek remained at 34.5 hours (June 2017: 34.4 hours) while average hourly wages inched up by five cents. The resulting average weekly earnings of $903.81 was up 3.0 percent.Job Gains-2008-2018 070618

A separate survey of households found the unemployment rate jumping 2/10ths of a percentage point to 4.0 percent (June 2017: 4.3 percent). The good news is that this was the result of 601,000 people entering the labor force during the month. As a result, the labor force participation rate also grew by 2/10ths of a percentage point to 62.9 percent. Labor force participation remains below pre-recession levels, although that partially (but not totally) reflects an aging populace. The labor force participation rate for adults 25 to 54 was 88.9 percent in June, down 2/10ths of a percentage point from May but up 4/10ths of a percentage point from a year earlier. There is some progress still needed here too—the 25-54 participation rate was about two full percentage points higher during the previous economic expansion. Falling to post-recession lows were the median length of unemployment (8.9 weeks) and the number of people with a part-time job seeking a full-time opportunity (4.743 million people). The BLS’s broadest measure of labor underutilization (the “U-6” series) shed 2/10ths of a percentage point to 7.8 percent, matching its post-recession low.

#2The trade deficit narrowed to its smallest reading in 19 months. The Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis report that exports grew by $4.1 billion to $215.3 billion (+11.7 percent versus May 2017) while imports increased by a more modest $1.1 billion to $258.4 billion (+8.3 percent versus May 2017). As a result, the trade deficit contracted by $3.0 billion to -$43.1 billion, down 6.0 percent from a year earlier and its smallest reading since October 2016. The goods deficit narrowed by $2.6 billion to -$65.8 billion (off 1.5 percent from May 2017) while the goods surplus widened by $450 million to +$22.7 billion (up 8.5 percent from May 2017). The former included the impact of a $3.6 billion rise in exported goods (including sizable gains for civilian aircraft and soybeans). The U.S. had its largest goods deficits in May with China (-$32.0 billion), the European Union (-$11.9 billion), and Japan (-$5.7 billion).

#3Factory orders grew during May, thanks to a gain in nondurable goods. New orders of manufactured goods increased 0.4 percent during the month to a seasonally adjusted $498.2 billion. This represented the Census Bureau measure’s third gain in four months, leaving new factory orders up 9.2 percent from a year earlier. Durable goods orders decreased 0.4 percent (an improvement from the 0.6 percent decline previously reported). Falling were orders for transportation goods (-1.1 percent), fabricated metals (-1.1 percent), primary metals (-0.3 percent), and computers/electronics (-0.2 percent) while machinery (+1.2 percent) and furniture orders (+1.1 percent) both increased. Nondurable goods orders grew 1.1 percent during the month. Nondefense capital goods net of aircraft—a proxy of business investment—inched up 0.3 percent. Shipments grew for the 12th time in 13 months with a 0.6 percent increase to $496.1 billion (+7.2 percent versus May 2017). Durable goods shipments gained by less than 0.1 percent while those of nondurables rose 1.1 percent. Unfilled orders grew for the sixth time in seven months (+0.5 percent to $1.161 trillion) while inventories expanded for the 19th time in 20 months (+0.2 percent to $668.4 billion)

#4Purchasing managers signal business activity expanded during June. The Institute for Supply Management’s Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) added 1.5 points to a seasonally adjusted reading of 60.2. This was the 22nd straight month in which the PMI has been above a reading of 50.0, which is indicative of an expanding manufacturing sector. Three of five PMI components improved from their May readings: supplier deliveries (up 6.2 points to 68.2), production (up 8/10ths of a point to 62.3), and inventories (up 6/10ths of a point to 50.8). The new orders and employment components each suffered small declines. Respondents from 17 of the 18 tracked manufacturing sectors reported growth during June, led by textile mills, wood products, and nonmetallic mineral products. Survey respondents expressed concerns about “employment resources and supply chains [that] continue to struggle,” and “how tariff related activity is and will continue to affect their business.”

The ISM’s measure for the nonmanufacturing sector of the economic added a half point to a seasonally adjusted 59.1. The NMI has been above the expansionary/contractionary threshold for 101 consecutive months. Only two of the NMI’s four components gained during the month: new orders (up 2.7 points to 63.2) and business activity/production (up 2.6 points to 63.9). The employment and supplier deliveries components both lost ground during June. Seventeen of 18 tracked service sector industries grew during the month, led by mining, wholesale trade, and retail. The press release reported that while survey respondents were “optimistic,” they were concerned about “tariffs, capacity constraints, and delivery.”

#5Construction spending grew in May. The Census Bureau estimates the seasonally adjusted annualized value of construction put into place increased 0.4 percent during the month to $1.309 trillion. This was 4.5 percent ahead of the year-ago rate. Private sector spending grew 0.3 percent to an annualized $1.005 trillion (+4.4 percent versus May 2017). Private sector residential construction spending expanded 0.8 percent during the month while private sector nonresidential construction spending slowed 0.3 percent (including falling activity in both the manufacturing and commercial sectors). Public sector spending was at an annualized $301.1 billion, up 0.7 percent for the month and 4.7 percent over the past year.

Other U.S. economic data released over the past week:
– Jobless Claims (week ending June 30, 2018, First-Time Claims, seasonally adjusted): 231,000 (+3,000 vs. previous week; -20,000 vs. the same week a year earlier). 4-week moving average: 224,500 (-8.2% vs. the same week a year earlier).
– Vehicle Sales (June 2018, Light Vehicle Sales, seasonally adjusted annualized rate): 17.47 million vehicles (+3.3% vs. May 2018, +4.6% vs. June 2017).
– FOMC Meeting Minutes

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Kevin’s current employer. No endorsements are implied.

The Trade Deficit Shrinks, Job Openings Expand: June 4 – 8

The Trade Deficit Shrinks, Job Openings Expand: June 4 – 8

Kevin Roth

The trade deficit narrowed while employers sought even more workers. Here are the five things we learned from U.S. economic data released during the week ending June 8.

#1A small rise in exports leads to a smaller trade deficit in April. The Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis find exports grew by $0.6 billion during the month to $211.2 billion (+9.9 percent versus April 2016) while imports contracted by $0.4 billion to $257.4 billion (+8.0 percent versus April 2016). As a result, the trade deficit narrowed to its lowest level since last September at -$46.2 billion. The goods deficit shrank by $1.0 billion to -$66.3 billion while the services surplus essentially held steady at +$22.1 billion. The latter was pushed up by a $0.3 billion gain in exported goods (led by industrial supplies, food/beverages) and a $0.7 billion drop in imported goods (driven by a $2.8 billion decline for consumer goods and a $0.9 billion drop for automobiles). The U.S. had its largest goods deficits with China (-$30.8 billion), European Union (-$13.2 billion), Mexico (-$6.0 billion), Japan (-$5.9 billion), and Germany (-$5.6 billion).Trade Deficit 060818

#2There were more job openings in April than the number of people unemployed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were a seasonally adjusted 6.698 million job openings at the end of April, up 65,000 for the month, 9.7 percent from a year earlier, and the most in the 17+ year history of the data series. Further, there were more job openings at the end of the more than that were people unemployed (6.346 million). The number of private sector job openings has grown 10.0 percent over the past year to 6.117 million, with large 12-month comparables for transportation/warehousing (+46.2 percent), professional/business services (+22.9 percent), retail (+22.5 percent), manufacturing (+20.9 percent), and leisure/hospitality (+11.0 percent). Employers hired 5.578 million workers during the month, up 92,000 from March and 6.8 percent from a year earlier, with private sector hiring also rising 6.8 percent from April 2017 levels. 5.408 million people left their jobs during April, up 86,000 for the month and 5.8 percent from a year earlier. This number includes 3.387 million people who had voluntarily quit their jobs (+1.4 percent versus April 2017).

#3The service sector grew even hotter in May. The Institute for Supply Management’s NMI jumped by 1.8 points during the month to a seasonally adjusted reading of 58.6. This was the 100th straight month in which the measure has been above a reading of 50.0, indicative of an expanding service sector. All four components of the NMI improved from their April readings: supplier deliveries (+4.0), business activity/production (+2.2), new orders (+0.5), and employment (+0.5). Fourteen of 18 tracked service sector industries expanded during May, led by wholesale trade, mining, and real estate. The press release expressed optimism among survey respondents, but also noted some “concerns about the uncertainty surrounding tariffs, trade agreements and the impact on cost of goods sold.”

#4Fewer aircraft orders slowed factory orders in April. New orders for manufactured goods dropped 0.8 percent during the month to a seasonally adjusted $494.5 billion. This represented a 7.4 percent year-to-year increase for the Bureau of Labor Statistics measure. As we saw with the durable goods report a few weeks ago, the headline number was dragged down by a 28.9 percent drop in orders for civilian aircraft. Net of all transportation goods, factory orders gained 0.4 percent during the month and has grown 7.4 percent over the past year. Increasing during the month were orders for furniture (+2.2 percent), fabricated metal products (+1.8 percent), electrical equipment/appliances (+1.8 percent), primary metals (+1.4 percent), computers/electronics (+1.1 percent), motor vehicles (+1.0 percent), and nondurable goods (+0.1 percent). Shipments eked out a less than $0.1 billion gain to $492.8 billion (+7.2 percent versus April 2018) with shipments net of transportation goods up 0.4 percent for the month. Unfilled orders grew for the fifth time in six months (+0.5 percent to $1.153 trillion) while inventories expanded for the 18th straight month (+0.3 percent to $666.9 billion).

#5Productivity was more feeble during Q1 than previously believed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates nonfarm productivity grew 2.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis (SAAR) while hours worked grew 2.3 percent during the first three months of 2018. As a result, nonfarm productivity 0.4 percent during the quarter, down from the 0.7 percent previously estimates and below the 1.3 percent productivity growth rate during the final three months of 2017. Nonfarm productivity has grown 1.3 percent over the past year. Manufacturing sector productivity contracted 1.2 percent during the quarter, sharply down from a 0.5 percent gain previously reported. Even with the pullback during Q1, manufacturing sector productivity has surged 4.3 percent over the past year.

Other U.S. economic data released over the past week:
– Jobless Claims (week ending June 2, 2018, First-Time Claims, seasonally adjusted): 222,000 (-1,000 vs. previous week; -12,000 vs. the same week a year earlier). 4-week moving average: 225,500 (-7.4% vs. the same week a year earlier).
– Consumer Credit (April 2018, Outstanding Consumer Credit Balances (net of mortgages and other real estate backed loans, seasonally adjusted): $3.883 trillion (+$9.2 billion vs. March 2018, +4.8% vs. April 2017).

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Kevin’s current employer. No endorsements are implied