The Labor Department reported Friday that U.S. employers added 209,000 jobs in June for the 30th consecutive month of job gains, but there was also a continued cooling in the labor market. The retail sector was the hardest hit, recording losses of about 11,000 jobs seasonally adjusted.
The total number of jobs was down from a revised 306,000 in May and was the lowest since the streak began. The figures are seasonally adjusted.
The Labor Department also reported that the U.S. unemployment rate was 3.6 percent, compared with 3.7 percent in May.
As measured by average hourly earnings for workers, wages grew more than expected, rising 0.4 percent from the previous month and 4.4 percent from June 2022. Those figures matched the May trend.
According to The Labor Department, job gains continued to moderate in service sectors, driving the slowdown in June. Retail was the one sector that declined, losing 11,000 jobs. Other major sectors added jobs, including education and health, adding 73,000 jobs; government, 60,000; construction, 23,000; leisure and hospitality, 21,000; business services, also 21,000; and manufacturing, 7,000.
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