Employment by Industry: May Gains Come in Ahead of Predictions

The US labor market added 339,000 jobs in May, up from April’s payroll gain of 253,000 and well ahead of consensus estimates of 190,000, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Last month’s result marked the 29th straight month of positive job growth.

Despite the surprise jobs gain, the unemployment rate rose to 3.7% in May, up from 3.4% in April and above the pre-pandemic jobless rate low of 3.5%.

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. Based in CRU’s Pittsburgh office, David can be reached at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.

David Schollaert

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