Washington, June 2 (TNS): The US unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in 18 years in May, the Labor Department reported Friday, showing the world’s biggest economy remains robust even as President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies have stoked fears of an all-out trade war.
The jobless rate fell to 3.8 percent from 3.9 percent in the prior month, the lowest level since April 2000.
The last time the rate was lower than 3.8 percent was December 1969. With a shortage of workers reported throughout the country and across many industries and skill levels, the latest data confirmed wages are rising.
The economy added 223,000 non-farm jobs last month, stronger than the consensus forecast of economists, and better than the increase of 159,000 in April. And the jobless rate for African American workers dropped sharply in the month to 5.9 percent from 6.6 percent, the lowest since the government began keeping records in 1972. President Donald Trump has been touting that figure as a major accomplishment of his economic policies.
“We have reached yet one more historic milestone with 3.8 percent unemployment just announced, and another all-time record low African-American unemployment,” Trump said at an event shortly after the data were released.
At an event later Friday he continued to tout the strong results. “We have such a great country right now,” he said. “We have some of the best economic numbers we’ve ever had as a nation and that goes a long way. And we’re building something very special.” But many economists and businesses have warned that jobs and economic growth could be victims of Trumps confrontational trade policies which includes steep tariffs on steel and aluminum that have hit key allies.
