Compared to the previous month, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 42 states and the District of Columbia in January. Eight states saw a decrease. Nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 229,000 in January, following a gain of 290,000 jobs in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Employment data was most favorable in New York, which added 59,300 jobs on a month-over-month basis. California followed with a 58,000 increase, and then Florida adding 38,000 more jobs. Across those eight states, a total of 17,000 jobs were lost with Oregon reporting the steepest loss at 4,900. Based on percentage, Vermont had the highest increase in employment at 0.6%, with South Dakota seeing the biggest decline of 0.4% between December and January.
According to Eye On Housing, Year-over-year ending in January, 2.8 million jobs have been added to the labor market. Except for Oregon and Illinois, all other states and the District of Columbia added jobs compared to a year ago. The range of job gains spanned from 2,200 jobs in Vermont to 263,900 jobs in Texas. Conversely, Oregon and Illinois lost a total of 11,500 jobs on a year-over-year basis. In percentage terms, Nevada reported the highest increase at 3.8%, while Oregon showed the largest decrease at 0.2% compared to a year ago.
Across the nation, construction sector jobs data[1]—which includes both residential and non-residential construction— showed that 32 states reported an increase in January compared to December, while 17 states lost construction sector jobs. The remaining two, Missouri and the District of Columbia reported no change on a month-over-month basis. North Carolina, with the highest increase, added 4,000 construction jobs, while Illinois, on the other end of the spectrum, lost 5,300 jobs. Overall, the construction industry added a net 19,000 jobs in January compared to the previous month. In percentage terms, Hawaii, Mississippi, and Arkansas reported the highest increase at 2.3% and Illinois reported the largest decline at 2.3%.
