Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Su on May jobs report

WASHINGTON – The Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su issued the following statement on the May 2024 Employment Situation report:  

“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 272,000 jobs in May, and the jobless rate was little changed at 4.0 percent. The rate of unemployment has been at or below 4 percent for the past 30 months, the longest stretch since 1970. These strong labor market indicators continue to point to strong, stable growth in the U.S. economy. 

“The labor force participation rate for prime-age women once again set a record high at 78.1 percent. Women have powered our nation’s economic recovery after the pandemic, and they continue to strengthen our labor force. In addition, employment gains last month were widespread across industries from healthcare, leisure and hospitality and jobs in local government like teachers, firefighters and other municipal workers. This broad-based growth points to President Biden’s economic vision in action, building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. 

"May was yet another good month for the American labor market. The Biden-Harris administration will continue to do all that we can to ensure that workers have opportunity and access to good jobs — the kind where workers aren’t just getting by but getting ahead.”