U.S. employers added 272,000 jobs in May, the Labor Department reported Friday morning. Growth was well above what economists expected as hiring had gradually declined. This is an increase compared to the average of 232,000 jobs over the past twelve months. Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor spoke with Julie Su Indigenous news online Friday to share the good news about the latest data.
This Q&A has been edited below for clarity and brevity.
Indigenous news online: I understand there was a great jobs report this morning. Tell us the good news.
Acting Secretary Su: Yes, it was a good company report with evidence of continued, steady and stable growth. Last month, 272,000 jobs were created. The unemployment rate has been at or below 4% for thirty months now. That’s the longest stretch since the 1960s and the labor force participation rate, especially for those primates, 25 to 54, remains very high, and real wages are still high there, over 4.1%, so working families are doing better, and we are creating opportunities in communities across the country.
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Native news online: Which industrial sectors contribute to growth?
Acting Secretary Su: The growth is happening across the board. Again, another sign of the overall strength of the economy: it is not overly dependent on any one sector. We’ve seen growth in healthcare, construction, leisure and hospitality, government and education and so on, and we’re seeing real wage increases in those sectors too. So again, we’re not just talking about jobs. We’re talking about good jobs,
Native news online: Well, that’s good news for Indians; especially tribes with Indian gaming facilities, which is considered leisure and hospitality. Is there anything else related to Native Americans that you would like to say?
Acting Secretary Su: I’ll say a few things. One of them is that we are launching a summer tour for good jobs. I launched it yesterday in Phoenix, where two Arizona cities signed our Principles for Good Jobs. This is again the theme that every worker who wants to work should be able to have a good job, to offer him a living wage and the right benefits, so that he can go to the doctor if he gets sick, knowing that he At the end of the day you come home healthy and safe, the opportunity to grow.
And then I had the opportunity to sit down with both the construction unions and organizations that serve communities that have historically felt left out. And the indigenous population is very important for both. They are important to ensure that as we create good jobs, everyone has access to them, from Arizona to Michigan and across the country.
This president is very focused on making sure no one is left behind.
About the Author: “Levi \”Calm Before the Storm\” Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded the Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print category\/ online by the Native American Journalists Association. He is a member of the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at levi@nativenewsonline.net.
Contact: levi@nativenewsonline.net
