The Department of Labor the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in May. Twenty-five states had unemployment rate increases from the April report, 9 states and Washington D.C. (District of Columbia) had decreases, while 16 states had no change.
However, Forty-five states and Washington D.C. had slight unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier and five states had increases. The national jobless rate was essentially unchanged from April at 5.5 percent and was 0.8 percentage point lower than in May 2014.
Consistent with the overall numbers unemployment the May 2015, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 37 states and Washington D.C. , decreased in 12 states, and was unchanged only in Montana. Other changes of note in non-farm payroll are:
- The largest over-the-month increases in employment occurred in California (+54,200), New York (+42,700), and Texas (+33,200).
- The largest over-the-month decrease in employment occurred in Wisconsin (-8,600), followed by North Dakota (-5,300) and South Carolina (-4,900).
- The largest over-the-month percentage increases in employment occurred in New Hampshire and Rhode Island (+0.7 percent each), followed by Michigan and Nevada (+0.6 percent each).
- The largest over-the-month percentage declines in employment occurred in North Dakota (-1.1 percent), Vermont (-0.7 percent), and Wyoming (-0.6 percent).
- Over the year, nonfarm employment increased in 49 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in West Virginia (-2.1 percent).
- The largest over-the-year percentage increases occurred in Utah (+3.9 percent) and
- Washington (+3.6 percent).
In May, The 44 states and the Washington D.C. jobless rates were not measurably different from those of a month earlier. Three states had statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate increases: North Carolina, Oklahoma, and South Dakota (+0.2 percentage point each). Three states had significant over-the-month rate declines: Indiana (-0.3 percentage point), Connecticut (-0.2 point), and Washington (-0.1 point).
Twenty-four states had statistically significant unemployment rate declines from May 2014, the largest of which occurred in Rhode Island (-2.0 percentage points). The only significant over-the-year rate increase occurred in North Dakota (+0.4 percentage point). The remaining 25 states and the District of Columbia had rates that were not appreciably different from those of a year earlier.
While the Department of Labor is comfortable using the term “statistically significant” little meaningful progress has been made in employment as Congress passes legislation that appears to open the door for the President to move more jobs to foreign trading “partners”. A point that is interesting, Washington D.C. is in the positive column indicator with plus employment and declining unemployment.