Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 148,000 in September, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 7.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported. Employment increased in construction, wholesale trade, and transportation and warehousing.
The National Retail Federation calculated retail industry job gains at 15,200 in September, and 289,000 jobs year-over-year, a 2.4 percent increase over the same month last year and 2.0 percent higher than total private sector jobs over the past year. More than 5,000 jobs were added in building material and garden supply stores more than 4,000 jobs added at automobile dealerships.
“It’s clear that retailers’ concerns surrounding the softening economy impacted their decisions to take on more hires, but overall, retail continues to play an integral role in the growth of our labor market,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.
“While still cautiously optimistic about expectations for a solid fourth quarter, retail companies looking to hire seasonal positions in October and November need to first see evidence that our policy leaders will take a more constructive approach to the second round of discussions about our country’s fiscal health. Otherwise retailers will see continued erosion in consumer confidence as we witnessed with talks surrounding the government shutdown.”
Over the prior 12 months, employment growth has averaged 185,000 per month.
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