Robert Besser
07 Feb 2023, 12:23 GMT+10
WASHINGTON D.C.: Despite the efforts of the Federal Reserve Bank to cool the job market to help curb record-high inflation, the US government has reported that employers added 517,000 jobs last month, as the unemployment rate dropped to 3.4 percent, the lowest level since 1969.
The report, which revealed low unemployment, relatively few firings and many job openings, highlighted the presence of a resilient US labor market that is good for workers and has accelerated wage growth and contributed to increasing inflation, due to employers' steady demand for staff.
However, the report's January wage data indicated that average hourly pay rose 4.4 percent last month over last year, though slower than the 4.8 percent year-over-year increase in December. From December to January, wages rose 0.3 percent, below the previous month's increase of 0.4 percent.
Meanwhile, the government also upgraded its estimate for job gains in November and December by a combined 71,000 positions.
President Joe Biden called the jobs report "strikingly good news," stressing that his Republican critics were wrong about their warnings of ongoing high inflation and a future recession and job cuts.
"Our plan is working, because of the grit and resolve of the American worker," Biden said.
However, Seema Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management, said, "This is a labor market on heat," as quoted by the Associated Press.
Since March, the Federal Reserve Bank has raised its key interest rate on eight occasions to slow the job market and curb inflation, which hit a 40-year high last year.
However, despite some high-profile layoffs by big tech companies, such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon, most workers currently enjoy an unusual level of job security, despite predictions of an approaching recession.
Get a daily dose of South East Asia Post news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to South East Asia Post.
More InformationCROWNPOINT, New Mexico: Navajo Technical University, located on the largest Native American reservation in the US, has become the first ...
WEST READING, Pennsylvania: An explosion occurred at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania, killing seven people and seeing ten staff members ...
OTTAWA, Canada: US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have announced a plan to close a loophole ...
UVLADE, Texas: Texas police stopped a Florida-bound freight train this week and discovered two migrants had died in a freight ...
ROLLING FORK, Mississippi: A powerful tornado has struck Mississippi, killing at least 25 people, injuring dozens, flattening entire blocks and ...
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras: In what could signal the end of his country's decades-long relations with Taiwan, Honduran foreign minister Eduardo Enrique ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks lipped on Tuesday as bond yields rose in the aftermath of the easing ...
DUBLIN, Ireland: US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly has said it will build a $1bn medicine manufacturing site in Limerick. Lily ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The US National Transportation Safety Board has said that after an automated cockpit warning that switched off a ...
BEIJING, California: As the world's second-largest economy is still struggling to fully recover from the long-term effects of COVID-19, most ...
NEW YORK, New York - Bank shares were being bought up on Monday as U.S. industrial stocks kicked the week ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: To address summer airport congestion and low air traffic controller staffing levels, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said ...