The May nonfarm report shows the labour market remains in fine fettle, even though wage gains are still not broad based.The May employment report showed that the US labour market – and the US economy more broadly – remains in great shape, with non-farm payrolls growing by 223,000 last month. The 2018 year-to-date average, at 207,000, is above last year’s 182,000. This strength is reassuring news, especially given the erratic course of US trade policy. The US labour market’s strength was...
Read More »US employment—Goldilocks again
After a solid February job report, we continue to expect four Fed rate hikes this year (and two in 2019).There are two main conclusions to be drawn from the February US employment report. First, the US economy’s underlying momentum is particularly robust, consistent with our view that GDP growth will pick up to 3.0% this year, from 2.3% in 2017. Second, while the labour market is tight, there is still some slack left; in other words, the US labour market is not (yet) overheating.That...
Read More »Wages on the rise as US maintains cyclical momentum
Solid US wage growth could lead to a more hawkish tone at the Federal Reserve.The January employment report showed that the US economy started 2018 on a strong footing, with particularly robust momentum in cyclical sectors such as construction and manufacturing. This supports our scenario that US growth will step up to 3% in 2018, from 2.3% in 2017, driven by an uptick in investment. With January’s increase of 200,000, the 3-month average growth in payrolls stands at 192,000/month, well...
Read More »US employment—It’s Goldilocks!
October non-farm payrolls provided another sign of the US economy’s strength. But tepid wage growth means the Fed will likely remain cautious.October payrolls showed the US economy remains in fine fettle, as underlying payroll growth remained firm. Robust labour-market signals echo recent solid business surveys, strong job opening data, and very low levels of initial jobless claims.Payrolls rose 261,000, reversing some hurricane-related weakness (payroll growth was only 18,000 in September)....
Read More »Underlying momentum in US employment remains intact
After a jobs report seriously distorted by extreme weather, the Fed remains on track to raise rates again in December.Nonfarm payrolls fell 33,000 in September, with data affected by hurricanes in the southern US. These aside, labour market signals – especially when looking at the household survey – remain solid. After a drop of 74,000 in August, employment rose 906,000 in the household survey, leading to a sharp fall in unemployment to 4.2%, the lowest rate since February 2001.The bottom...
Read More »US job market remains strong, but wage growth still disappoints
The latest non-farm payroll report is unlikely to make the Fed deviate from plans for policy normalisation.All in all, today’s employment report was healthy. In the end, job creation was actually quite robust overall in Q2, ‘aggregate weekly payrolls’ rose strongly q-o-q, and if unemployment rebounded a little in June, it was only because of higher participation, not a lack of employment growth. However, once again, wage data brought some disappointment, with average hourly earnings...
Read More »U.S. job creation softens, but unemployment lowest in 16 years
The May nonfarm payroll report was mixed, but still unlikely to modify the case for a Fed hike this month. We still expect the Fed to raise rates twice more this year (in June and September).May was a mixed month for US employment data. Job creation was softer than expected, the figures for the previous couple of months were revised down and average hourly earnings data were somewhat disappointing. However, the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell further, reaching its lowest level since...
Read More »Wage growth eases in the U.S. despite strong job creation
The first US jobs report of 2017 saw employment beat consensus. But some details were disappointing, including wage growth.Non-farm payroll employment in the US rose by 227,000 month on month in December, above consensus expectations (180,000). The unemployment rate rose slightly further, to 4.8% in December while the broader U6 unemployment rate rebounded to 9.4%. Overall, however, the underlying picture remains one of ongoing improvement in US labour market conditions. As we highlighted in...
Read More »Healthy U.S. jobs report points to early rate hike
The unemployment rate fell to a fresh cyclical low in November, and while wage growth disappointed, we expect it to pick up progressively next year.US non-farm payroll employment rose by a healthy 178,000 month-on-month (m-o-m) in November, in line with consensus expectations. Unexpectedly, the US unemployment rate fell further in November, to 4.6% from 4.9% in October, reaching its lowest level in more than nine years. At 4.6%, the US unemployment rate is now below the median rate of 4.8%...
Read More »Healthy payroll number in the U.S., strong increase in wages
Latest job numbers along with acceleration in wage growth reinforces the case for December rate hike.October’s non-farm payroll figure was healthy, with upward revisions for the previous two months. The unemployment rate inched down and year-on-year (y-o-y) wage increases reached a fresh cyclical high. The latest data tend to strengthen the case for a Fed hike in December.Non-farm payroll employment in the US rose by 161,000 m-o-m in October, marginally below consensus expectations. However,...
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