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Here’s where the jobs are for March 2024 in one chart — in one chart

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Job growth totaled 303,000 in March, topping expectations, as unemployment rate edged lower to 3.8%

The U.S. labor market surprised economists with its strength once again, adding more than 300,000 jobs in March, with a few key sectors continuing to fuel its growth.

Health care and social assistance were the top sector for job gains — a common theme in recent years — adding 81,300 jobs. Government and leisure and hospitality were the next two strongest sectors, and together these top groups accounted for more than 60% of March’s gains.

Within health care, ambulatory services and hospitals combined to add 55,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local government was another strong sub-group for hiring, growing by 49,000 jobs.

Notably, the leisure and hospitality sector is now back to its pre-pandemic employment level, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment in this area, which includes bars and restaurants, fell dramatically in 2020 when many such establishments were closed for health concerns.

The continued rebound of these jobs, along with strong months for sectors like construction, could be a sign that immigration is helping the labor market grow without putting too much upward pressure on wages. The Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that the labor force participation has changed little in the past year despite consistent upside surprises for job gains.

“Last year, half of the growth in the labor force came from net immigration. There were 5.2 million additional jobs last year, thanks to net immigration. It’s been the key to rebalancing the labor market. It’s a huge part of the reason we’ve got the growth that we’ve got and the disinflation that we’ve had,” Stony Brook University professor Stephanie Kelton said Friday on “Squawk Box.”

Economics

Consumer confidence in where the economy is headed hits 12-year low

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Shoppers walk near a Nordstrom store at the Westfield UTC shopping center on Jan. 31, 2025 in San Diego, California.

Kevin Carter | Getty Images

Consumer confidence dimmed further in March as the view of future conditions fell to the lowest level in more than a decade, the Conference Board reported Tuesday.

The board’s monthly confidence index of current conditions slipped to 92.9, a 7.2-point decline and the fourth consecutive monthly contraction. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a reading of 93.5.

However, the measure for future expectations told an even darker story, with the index tumbling 9.6 points to 65.2, the lowest reading in 12 years and well below the 80 level that is considered a signal for a recession ahead.

The index measures respondents’ outlook for income, business and job prospects.

“Consumers’ optimism about future income — which had held up quite strongly in the past few months — largely vanished, suggesting worries about the economy and labor market have started to spread into consumers’ assessments of their personal situations,” said Stephanie Guichard, senior economist, Global Indicators at The Conference Board.

The survey comes amid worries over President Donald Trump’s plans for tariffs against U.S. imports, which has coincided with a volatile stock market and other surveys showing waning sentiment.

The fall in confidence was driven by a decline in those 55 or older but was spread across income groups.

In addition to the general pessimism, the outlook for the stock market slid sharply, with just 37.4% of respondents expecting higher equity prices in the next year. That marked a 10 percentage point drop from February and was the first time the view turned negative since late-2023.

The view on the labor market also weakened, with those expecting more jobs to be available falling to 16.7%, while those expecting fewer jobs rose to 28.5%. The respective February readings were 18.8% and 26.6%.

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Economics

A shambolic leak reveals Team Trump’s contempt for allies

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MANY KNOW the mortification of sending the wrong text message to the wrong person. But when the fat thumb is that of America’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, the message is a detailed military plan to bomb Yemen and the recipient is a prominent journalist, the error is not just a cause of shame but potentially a serious breach of national security.

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Economics

A leak reveals Team Trump’s carelessness, and contempt for allies

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How a magazine editor was accidentally added to a top-secret chat group

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