Manufacturing added 15,000 jobs in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said today. But the manufacturing employment picture was mixed.
Durable goods industries added 18,000 jobs, according to a breakdown by industry issued by the bureau. Non-durable goods industries cut 3,000 jobs.
Within durable goods, results varied. Job gainers included fabricated metal products (up 5,700), primary metals (up 3,100), furniture (up 8,500) and miscellaneous manufacturing (up 3,300).
Holding the sector back was motor vehicles and parts, down 12,300. The auto industry continues to cope with a global shortage of semiconductors. That has resulted in reduced production of vehicles and temporary plant shutdowns.
Manufacturing employment totaled 12.318 million in June, up from an adjusted 12.303 million the month before and 11.999 million in June 2020, when employment was held down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Manufacturing employment is down 481,000 from February 2020, the last month before the pandemic slammed the U.S. economy.
Total non-farm employment surged by 850,000 jobs in June, the bureau said in a statement. That was better than the Dow Jones estimate of 706,000, according to CNBC.
The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 5.9 percent last month from 5.8 percent in May.
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