Payroll employment rose by almost 340,000 during the month of May, but unemployment ticked up a bit to 3.7%, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The increase in jobs through May occurred in professional and business services, governments, health care, and construction. The data is compiled from two monthly surveys that measure labor force status, including unemployment.
The 339,000 jobs filled in May were offset by a job loss figure of 440,000, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.3%. The number of unemployed persons is at 6.1 million, the report states.
By demographics, the unemployment rate for adult women and black individuals rose in May while the jobless rates for adult men, white individuals, Asian individuals, and Hispanics
showed little change over the month.