Here’s how economists and other analysts reacted to the June jobs report released Friday morning.
Related: U.S. adds healthy 213,000 jobs in June, but unemployment rate backs up to 4%
• “Today’s report is more good news for the U.S. economy. The labor market keeps chugging along, as reflected in today’s June Jobs report. We’re now at 93 straight months of consecutive job gains, and the uptick in the unemployment rate was driven by a surge in labor market participation.” — Len Kiefer, Freddie Mac.
• “Admittedly, the unemployment rate did rebound to 4.0%, from 3.8%, but that was only due to a 601,000 surge in the labor force, which outweighed a more modest 102,000 rise in household employment. In any case, if jobs growth remains close to its current trend, the unemployment rate is likely to resume its downward trend over the second half of this year.” — Andrew Hunter, Capital Economics.
• “But, wages continue to be the focus of most investors, and today’s numbers were a disappointment on that front. Average hourly earnings gained 0.2%, against expectations for a 0.3% increase. That meant the annual rate is still running at 2.7%, right in the middle of the relatively tight range it’s been in for almost three years, and below the 3-4% the Fed would like to see.” — Royce Mendes, CIBC World Markets.
• “The tight labor market is leading businesses to raise pay to retain their current workers and attract new ones, and wage growth will strengthen through the rest of this year and into 2018.” — Gus Faucher, PNC.
• “The top level takeaway is that the labor market remains consistent with robust economic growth but not yet tight enough to generate the kind of upward inflation pressures that would encourage the Fed to raise rates more rapidly. Today’s number is a very nice mix for risk assets—strong growth but still room for the Fed to move only gradually. I continue to expect rate hikes at quarterly intervals for the foreseeable future, but nothing more aggressive than that.” — Eric Winograd, AB.
Also read: Fed will see jobs data backing up a gradual interest-rate hike pace