Job growth decelerated in October. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 150,000 and the unemployment rate edged up to 3.9% in October from 3.8%. The labor market is cooling. The Fed held interest rates steady for the second meeting in a row at the conclusion of its November meeting. This month’s employment data will be…
NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (SOC) indicates shares of new single-family homes built with private wells and individual septic systems increased in 2022, compared with the previous year. About 10% of new single-family homes started in 2022 were served by individual wells and 18% had private septic systems. These shares, however,…
The U.S. economy had remarkable growth in the third quarter of 2023, fueled by consumer spending. The GDP price index rose 3.5% for the third quarter, up from a 1.7% increase in the second quarter. The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, capturing inflation (or deflation) across a wide range of consumer expenses and reflecting…
After more than a year of strong gains, average hourly earnings for residential building workers* increased at a relatively slower pace in the past few months. Wage growth has retreated below 3%, from the peak rate of 8% in 2021. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report, average hourly earnings (AHE) for residential…
Job growth remained solid in September as the Fed fights against inflation. In fact, the recent jobs data has been stronger than most economists expected and is a reminder that GDP growth for the third quarter will be very strong and inflation risks persist. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 336,000 and the unemployment rate…
The recent employment data indicates that the labor market is cooling gradually due to rising interest rates. Total employment increased by 187,000 and the unemployment rate rose to 3.8% from 3.5%. Wage growth slowed. In August, wages grew at a 4.3% year-over-year growth rate, down 1.1 percentage points from a 5.4% gain in August 2022….
