Little Change in State Labor Markets in April

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Once again, the State Employment Report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics had little in the way of meaningful content. Both Connecticut and Florida continue to struggle with unemployment, as both saw their u-rates tick up m/m in April. These two states also saw the largest y/y u-rate changes, with the unemployment counts increasing for both. However, Connecticut saw a drop in its labor force over the year, while Florida’s labor force grew y/y. On the payroll front, six states saw modest m/m gains in NFP in April. New Mexico had the largest percentage increase thanks to some increases in construction and health and ed employment. Over the year, Nevada posted the largest percentage increase in NFP, while Oregon saw the largest percentage decrease. Nevada’s gains primarily came from professional services and health and ed, while Oregon posted y/y employment declines in every category except health and ed. The below exhibit is reproduced from the BLS release.

Source: USBLS

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