The June jobs report, released on July 5, 2024, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is expected to show a slowdown in hiring with approximately 190,000 new jobs added. This figure represents a decrease from the previous month's gain of 272,000 jobs. The labor market has been robust for some time but is now showing signs of normalization as inflation cools down and interest rates remain elevated.
Business activity has been slowing down, with the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index (PCE) climbing at an annual rate of 2.6% in May, which is the lowest since March 2021. The Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell, has acknowledged that risks to their inflation and employment goals have come closer to balance.
Despite these developments, economists remain optimistic about the labor market's overall strength. Unemployment remains low at 4%, a historically low level not exceeded for over two years. However, there are concerns about its potential worsening from here due to high inflation and the ongoing interest-rate-hiking campaign.
The hiring rate, which tracks the number of hires during a month as a percentage of overall employment, has slowed significantly. Layoff activity has been climbing steadily higher in recent weeks. Last week, there were an estimated 238,000 first-time claims filed for unemployment benefits, an increase of 4,000 from the week before. Unemployed persons by reason for unemployment is up about 200,0 people on a three-month average basis compared to last year.
The June jobs report will provide valuable insights into the current state of the labor market and its potential future direction. Economists will closely monitor this data to assess whether the labor market is continuing to slow or if it is showing signs of resilience.