The US posted strong job growth in June, but the overall number of employed Americans remained below the pre-pandemic level, according to federal data. Employers added a more-than-expected 372,000 jobs last month, while the U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.6 percent, the Labor Department said Friday morning. The job gains bring the total number of U.S. workers to nearly 152 million, slightly below the pre-pandemic level of 152.5 million recorded in February 2020, according to a Federal Reserve database. JUNE JOBS BREAKDOWN: HIRE HOT SPOTS, WEAK SPOTS “The historic strength of our labor market is one reason our economy is uniquely positioned to address a range of global economic challenges – from global inflation to the economic fallout from Putin’s war,” said President Joe Biden in a statement. “No country is in a better position than America to reduce inflation without giving up all the economic gains we’ve made over the past 18 months.” President Biden says the June jobs report shows the economy is “uniquely well-positioned to deal with a range of global economic challenges,” ranging from global inflation to the “fallout from Putin’s war.” (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/Getty Images) Biden celebrated that the report showed that private sector jobs are returning to pre-pandemic levels. He added that slower job growth will be reported in the coming months, but that it won’t be “bad.” But Republicans and some business groups criticized the president after Friday’s report on inflation continuing to hit consumers nationwide. Inflation rose 8.6 percent year-on-year in May, the biggest jump since late 1981, recent data showed. MANAGER BIDEN CHALLENGES SUPPLY CHAIN ’IMPROVEMENTS’ OVER ‘RESPONSIBLE THINKING’: TRADE EXPERT “President Biden’s press secretary tried to claim just yesterday that we’re in better economic shape than ever, yet higher prices continue to hit everyone,” Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis. , Fox News Digital said in a statement. “The White House remains out of touch and the American people are paying the price.” Potomac Wealth Advisors founder and president Mark Avallone says the Fed has a “dual mandate” to moderate inflation and keep employment strong. Alfredo Ortiz, president and CEO of the Job Creators Network, said “it’s clear the economy is in bad shape” based on the report despite the large number of top performers. It noted slowing wage growth and a low labor force participation rate. GET THE FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE “The 3.6 percent unemployment rate is misleading — it excludes those who can and should be working but have dropped out of the labor force,” Ortiz said in a statement. “We are also experiencing the lowest consumer sentiment on record.” “The reason for this disaster is clear: President Biden’s policies, especially his record spending spree that is causing the worst inflation in four decades,” he continued.
