U.S. Job Growth Slowed In January; Slight Gains In Entertainment Business Employment

Job growth slowed in January to 143,000 positions, with the unemployment rate ticking down to 4%.

The latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics offer a picture of the labor situation as Donald Trump takes office, but they do not reflect some of his moves in his initial weeks in office. That includes cutting the size of the federal workforce and deportation raids.

Jobs in motion pictures and sound recordings grew by 1,600 to 409,500, while employment in publishing climbed by 2,500 to 920,100. Broadcast and content providers added 1,800 positions to 333,000.

Employment declines in mining and quarrying and the oil and gas extraction industries were particularly notable. The largest gains occurred in health care, retail and social assistance.

The average hourly earnings rose by 17 cents, to $35.87. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4.1 percent.

Jared Bernstein, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under Joe Biden, wrote on X that the latest figures were a “solid jobs report,” noting the three month average of 237,000 jobs and significant wage gains. “There’s chaos and there’s the job market. They’ve yet to intersect,” he wrote.