Another surprising drop in US unemployment: hit its lowest level in half a century

WASHINGTON.- The unemployment rate

United States

fell to 3.6% in April, so it was at a minimum since December 1969, according to data released today by the Labor Statistics Bureau of the US Department of Labor.

Quickly, the president

Donald Trump

He celebrated this fact on his Twitter account by posting "Jobs, jobs, jobs!" Job growth in April, the unemployment rate drops to its lowest level since 1969.

In parallel with the drop in unemployment, 263,000 non-farm jobs were created in the fourth month of the year, compared to 189,000 in March, as a result of increased hiring in the professional services, labor and employment sectors. construction and health.

The number of long-term unemployed (those who have been unemployed for at least 27 weeks) has fallen to 1.23 million, which equates to a fall of 75,000 unemployed people. Its weight relative to total unemployment remained stable at 21.1%.

The total number of unemployed rose to 5.82 million people, so it was reduced by 387,000 people compared to the previous month. For its part, the labor force participation rate fell by two tenths to 62.8%. Compared to the previous month, the active population in April had been reduced by 490,000 people.

By groups of workers, the unemployment rate for women fell by two tenths to 3.1%, while that of men fell to 3.4%, two tenths less. Among young people, the unemployment rate is 13%, two tenths more than in March.

according to
For the Washington Post, purchases were strong in most sectors, with particularly strong gains: business services (76,000 jobs created), construction (33,000 jobs added) and medical care (27,000 jobs created). Economists looked closely at jobs in the government as the US census began to increase hiring before the 2020 census. The federal government created 12,500 jobs in April, which would likely have contributed to the recovery. of the next census.

Economists are seeing encouraging trends as people who are not actively looking for work are suddenly hired. Labor indicators have evolved favorably in almost every direction. "The job market looks good in all its measures," said Matthew Luzzetti, chief economist at Deutsche Bank in the United States at the Washington Post. "Although the unemployment rate is the lowest since 1969, a better measure is to look at the unemployment rate that includes underemployed people (those who work part-time because they can not find a job on time"). the lowest since 2000. "

A challenge for employers

With these levels of unemployment, the search for personnel by companies becomes a big challenge. Business leaders feel that it is increasingly difficult to find enough people to fill vacant positions.

The Washington Post cites the example of McLane, a large truck and warehouse company specializing in the transportation of food and groceries across the country. The company spends about $ 70,000 a year on recruitment notices for truck drivers, but even then it is difficult for them to find enough staff.

The economy is good, but it's very difficult for employers, "said Joe Stagnaro, president of McLane Operations in Pennsylvania. The people you want to hire are usually already employed by another company, "he added.

DPA and AFP agencies