December 2013 sees 490,000 U.S. jobs gained
February 3, 2014
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate dropped .3 percent in December 2013, to 6.7 percent. Almost half a million people are no longer unemployed thanks to this decline, leaving the number of unemployed Americans hovering around 10.4 million.
- Retailers, such as clothing stores, food and drink shops and auto dealers, saw 55,000 new jobs in Dec. 2013. On average, retailers added 32,000 jobs per month last year.
- Professional and business services — including bookkeeping, accounting — increased the work force by 19,000 jobs, down from its monthly average of 53,000 in 2013. However, 40,000 jobs were added in December for temporary workers.
- Manufacturing jobs continued to slowly climb, with 9,000 new jobs in December in industries such as petroleum, coal and metals. This industry increased by 77,000 jobs last year, down from their 154,000 added jobs in 2012.
- Six thousand lost jobs in healthcare, though the healthcare industry continues to trend upward by approximately 17,000 jobs per month in 2013.
- Construction jobs, particularly contractors of specialized trades, decreased by 16,000 in December. It is possible that these numbers will improve in the new year due to the extreme weather in many parts of the country.
- Information also saw a decrease in sound recording and motion picture jobs, decreasing by 14,000 jobs. There were no major increases over 2013 for this industry.
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