*SMLR-Net, the source of selected news on labor and employment relations and human resource management.*

* *

*(**1) New York Times, July 6, 2012*

http://nyti.ms/LuaFiG

* *

*Job Growth Remains Tepid*

By CATHERINE RAMPELLhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/catherine_rampell/index.html

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/catherine_rampell/index.html

The nation’s employers created almost enough jobs to keep up with population growth in June, but not nearly enough to reduce the backlog of nearly 13 million unemployed workers.

The economy added 80,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported Friday http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm, after a revised increase of 77,000 in May. The unemployment rate remained at 8.2 percent.

Economists are expecting tepid job growth for the rest of the year, too.

“This economy has no forward momentum and little help from monetary or fiscal policy,” Kathy Bostjancic, director of macroeconomic analysis for the Conference Board, said. “As if that were not enough, ill winds are blowing in from both a contracting Europe and slowing growth in emerging markets. Also, domestic lawmakers’ inaction on the upcoming ‘fiscal cliff’ creates uncertainty that is not conducive to hiring.”

For Full Story, See: http://nyti.ms/LuaFiG

* *

*(2) BLS Economic News Release*

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- JUNE 2012

Nonfarm payroll employment continued to edge up in June (+80,000), and the

unemployment rate was unchanged at 8.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor

Statistics reported today. Professional and business services added jobs,

and employment in other major industries changed little over the month.

Household Survey Data

The number of unemployed persons (12.7 million) was essentially unchanged

in June, and the unemployment rate held at 8.2 percent. (See table A-1.)

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for blacks (14.4 percent)

edged up over the month, while the rates for adult men (7.8 percent),

adult women (7.4 percent), teenagers (23.7 percent), whites (7.4 percent),

and Hispanics (11.0 percent) showed little or no change. The jobless rate

for Asians was 6.3 percent in June (not seasonally adjusted), little changed

from a year earlier. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)

In June, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks

and over) was essentially unchanged at 5.4 million. These individuals

accounted for 41.9 percent of the unemployed. (See table A-12.)

Both the civilian labor force participation rate and the employment-

population ratio were unchanged in June at 63.8 and 58.6 percent,

respectively. (See table A-1.)

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes

referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was essentially unchanged at

8.2 million. These individuals were working part time because their hours

had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

(See table A-8.)

In June, 2.5 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force,

down from 2.7 million a year earlier. (These data are not seasonally

adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were

available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12

months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched

for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. (See table A-16.)

Among the marginally attached, there were 821,000 discouraged workers

in June, a decline of 161,000 from a year earlier. (These data are not

seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently

looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them.

The remaining 1.7 million persons marginally attached to the labor

force in June had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the

survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

(See table A-16.)

For the Full News Release, including tables, See: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm