WASHINGTON–The U.S. economy added 304,000 jobs in January, a strong number that was above what many analysts had predicted.
January also marked the 100thstraight month of job gains ini the United States.
The Labor Department said the month-long government shutdown had "no discernible impacts" on hiring and wages, but it did contribute to the uptick in unemployment, which rose slightly to 4%.
The shutdown also could be a contributor another ripple effect in the economy, according to the Department of Labor, as seen in data showing the number of people working part time for economic reasons jumped by about 500,000, after many months of declining. The Labor Department indicated the increase might be attributable to private-sector contractors who lost work during the lapse in funding.
According to the Labor Department, a portion of the large increase in hiring could have been pulled forward from December. December’s jobs numbers have been revised down from 312,000 jobs to 222,000. Nevertheless, the average number of jobs created over the past three months is 241,000 jobs, which indicates accelerating job growth. Some forecasters have predicted a slowdown would occur.
Leisure & Hospitality Leads the Way
The DoL said employment gains were led by the leisure and hospitality sector, which has added 410,000 jobs over the past year. Job growth in the sector indicates consumers have been spending freely on recreation, which is another positive.
Retail jobs, however, have stayed essentially flat over the past year as e-commerce, especially in transportation and warehousing, has taken over an increasing share of employment in the sector, the DoL said.
The data also show hourly earnings rose 3.2%.