The U.S. economy gained 272,000 jobs in May, and the unemployment rate was up slightly to 4.0%, according to figures released Friday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
May's biggest job gains were in health care (+68,000); government (+43,000); leisure and hospitality (+42,000); professional, scientific, and technical services (+32,000); social assistance employment (+15,000); and retail trade (+13,000). Employment showed little or no change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; transportation and warehousing; information; financial activities; and other services.
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for teenagers (12.3%), Black Americans (6.1%), Hispanics (5.0%), adult men (3.8%), adult women (3.4%), White Americans (3.5%), and Asian Americans (3.1%) showed little or no change in May.
The number of long-term unemployed workers (those jobless for 27 weeks or longer) was little changed in May and accounted for 20.7% of the total number of people unemployed.