WASHINGTON — Employers added an anemic 18,000 total jobs in June, as the unemployment rate edged up to 9.2%, the Labor Department reported Friday.
Payrolls for May and April were revised down by 44,000. May payrolls were revised to a 25,000 increase from the paltry 54,000 gain reported last month. April payrolls were revised to a 217,000 jump from the 232,000 increase that was initially reported.
Government-sector payrolls continued to drag down overall employment, declining for the eighth straight month.
Federal employment shrank by 14,000, while state and local employment dropped by 25,000 in June. Government employment for May and April was revised lower.
Total private payrolls added 57,000 jobs in June.
Manufacturing employers added 6,000 jobs in June after cutting 2,000 workers in May, the first decline in manufacturing employment since October. The financial sector slashed 15,000 jobs.
Job growth was flat in the education and health care services sector, the first month without an increase since March 2009.
The unemployment rate increased to 9.2%. The total labor force declined by 272,000 for the month.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters expected an increase of 90,000 total payrolls and 110,000 private payrolls, according to the median estimate. They expected the unemployment rate to be 9.1%.
The projections were made before Thursday when ADP estimated 157,000 private payrolls were created in June. The report caused some economists to adjust their projections.
Average hourly earnings fell in June for the first time since November, dipping by 0.1%.
The average workweek was down to 34.3 from 34.4.
