Statement of US Labor Secretary Perez on April employment numbers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the April 2016 Employment Situation report released today:

“Today’s report is further evidence of a steady recovery that continues to put more people back to work. The economy added 160,000 jobs in April (171,000 by private employers), averaging 200,000 over the last three months and 220,000 over the last six months. April was the 74^th straight month of private-sector job growth, as that unprecedented streak continues, totaling 14.6 million jobs overall since early 2010. The unemployment rate remained at 5.0 percent.

“It’s not just about the quantity of jobs, it’s about who’s getting the jobs. It’s especially heartening to see the long-term unemployed get back in the game. Roughly two-thirds of the decline in the unemployment rate over the last year has come from the ranks of the long-term unemployed. One in four unemployed people have been out of work for 27 weeks or more, a percentage that hasn’t been lower in seven years.

“Despite a lot of naysaying from some people, the plain truth is that the economy has bounced back impressively from the Great Recession, creating opportunity and improving the lives of millions of people. On top of today’s numbers, job openings are hovering around record highs, while initial jobless claims benefits remain near historic lows. And not long after many left the Big Three for dead, 2015 was the best year ever for auto sales.  

“But we’re living with two truths in America today – undeniable progress, but also unfinished business. Too many people are still struggling to access opportunity, finding the American Dream more and more elusive. Average hourly earnings did increase by 8 cents last month, but real wages for most workers have barely risen at all since the late 1970s. So many people, despite working harder and producing more, are earning essentially the same.

“Even with continued congressional obstruction, the Obama administration is taking important steps to empower working people and grow the middle class – investing in education, infrastructure and apprenticeship; pushing for a higher minimum wage and paid family leave both nationally and locally. We’re also making sure Americans enjoy economic security when their working days are over. Last month, the Labor Department completed a regulation that will protect consumers from conflicts of interest in retirement investment advice, a problem costing families, by conservative estimates, $17 billion a year.

“We continue to fight every day to make sure the rising tide lifts all the boats and not just the yachts. Our work in the next eight-and-a-half months is all about making sure a growing economy is an inclusive economy, where prosperity is broadly shared and everyone has a fair chance to succeed.”