MIAMI BEACH, FL – Hiring increased in the US in June and average hourly wages rose as more Americans return to pre-pandemic lifestyles. However, the country still has a long way to go before the pandemic job losses are fully reversed.
The U.S. created 850,000 non-farm jobs in June, which was the largest monthly increase since August 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The total number of employees has increased by 15.6 million jobs since April 2020. However, the country has still lost 6.8 million jobs (4.4 percent) from pre-pandemic levels. The unemployment rate rose between May and June by 0.1 percentage points to 5.9 percent.
The Miami Beach area unemployment rate has improved since the coronavirus pandemic began, and there was some improvement from April to May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The May numbers are the latest for local unemployment.
Miami-Dade County’s unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in May, up from 6.9 percent in April. This reflected some improvement from May 2020 when the unemployment rate was 10.3 percent.
Miami-Dade County’s May unemployment rate is higher than Florida’s 5.0 percent rate, according to the latest local BLS figures.
Nationally, the leisure and hospitality industry added 343,000 jobs in June, a sign that more Americans are ready to return to restaurants, bars, and vacation spots. Employment in the industry is far from recovering, with a 12.9 percent decline from pre-pandemic levels.
The average hourly wage continues to rise as employers offer more money to fill positions. The average hourly wage in June was $ 30.40, 10 cents more than in May. The average hourly wage has risen 43 cents since April.
President Joe Biden celebrated the report, saying the country was recovering quickly from the economic damage caused by the pandemic.
“Instead of workers competing with each other for scarce jobs, employers compete with each other to attract workers,” he said in a statement.
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