Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 32 states and the District of Columbia in May compared to the previous month while 18 states lost jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 390,000 in May, following a gain of 436,000 jobs in April.
On a month-over-month basis, employment data was strong in Texas, which added 74,200 jobs, followed by California (+42,900) and New York (+26,800). Eighteen states lost a total of 52,600 jobs. In percentage terms, employment in West Virginia increased by 1.3% while Alaska reported a 1.4% decline between April and May.
Year-over-year ending in May, 6.5 million jobs have been recovered, marking the economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic induced recession. All the states and District of Columbia added jobs compared to a year ago. The range of job gains spanned 869,300 jobs in California to 5,400 jobs added in Wyoming. In percentage terms, Nevada reported the highest increase by 7.1%, while Kansas increased by 1.3% compared to a year ago.
Across the 48 states which reported construction sector jobs data—which includes both residential as well as non-residential construction— 22 states reported an increase in May compared to April, while 23 lost construction sector jobs. Arizona, Idaho, and South Dakota reported no change. Texas added 10,600 construction jobs while New York lost 5,100 jobs. Overall, the construction industry added a net 36,000 jobs in May compared to the previous month. In percentage terms, Minnesota increased by 3.2% while Wyoming reported a decline of 3.0% between April and May.
Year-over-year, construction sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 283,000, which is a 3.8% increase compared to the May 2021 level. Texas added 54,600 jobs, which was the largest gain of any state, while Kentucky lost 2,300 construction sector jobs. In percentage terms, New Mexico had the highest annual growth rate in the construction sector by 12.8%. Over this period, Arkansas reported a decline of 3.6%.
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