Temp jobs rise by 39,100 in May following plunge in April

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Temporary jobs in the US rose by 39,100 in May following a steep decline in April when the full impact of Covid-19 hit; however, they still remain down 29.2% on a year-over-year basis, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Total jobs also rose in May and the unemployment rate declined compared to April. The BLS reported the improvements reflect a limited resumption of activity as efforts to contain Covid-19 began to ease.

The temp penetration rate — temp jobs as a percent of total employment — was unchanged at 1.57% in May from April.

In addition, the BLS revised upward the number of US temp jobs in April by 7,900.

Other data in the report:

  • Total US employment increased by 2.5 million in May after falling by 20.7 million in April.
  • The US unemployment rate fell to 13.3% in May from 14.7% in April. However, the jobless rate had been 4.4% in March.
  • The college-level unemployment rate fell to 7.4% in May from 8.4% in April. It had been 2.5% in March.
  • People on temporary layoff fell by 2.7 million to a total of 15.3 million in May following a sharp increase of 16.2 million in April.
  • Construction jobs rose by 464,000 in May, gaining back almost all of April’s losses.

Responses to surveys upon which the data is based were lower than usual and the BLS cited the impact of Covid-19.

Click on chart to enlarge.

For more, please see SIA’s “June US Jobs Report.”