(Washington) The pace of job creation in the private sector in the United States slowed in February compared to January penalized in particular by the construction sector, according to the monthly survey of the business services firm ADP published on Wednesday .
Posted on March 3, 2021 at 8:46 a.m.
Updated at 9:20 a.m.
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In February, private companies created 117,000 jobs in the United States, far less than the 180,000 expected by analysts.
In January, they had created 195,000, according to a revised figure upwards, a strong rebound that followed a plunge and further job losses in December.
“The labor market continues to show a slow recovery in all areas,” Nela Richardson, ADP chief economist, commented in a statement.
It was especially the production sector that suffered in February, destroying 14,000 jobs while it had created 19,000 the previous month.
In detail, the construction sector has destroyed 3,000 jobs, after creating 18,000 in January. And manufacturing production, which must nevertheless accelerate the pace to meet the strong demand expected in the spring, has destroyed 14,000 jobs (against 1,000 creations in January).
It is therefore the service sector that drives job creation, with 131,000 new jobs, particularly in the transport sector and the supply of energy or water, but also in the health sector, driven by the need for staff for immunization.
And the leisure and hotel sector, which has suffered for almost a year, is recovering a little, with 26,000 new jobs.
Medium-sized companies (50 to 499 employees) created almost half of the jobs. The biggest companies, with more than 1000 employees, have destroyed it.
ADP’s survey is a first indicator of the labor market, ahead of the official report from the Ministry of Labor which will be released on Friday.
Analysts believe that the entire US economy (public and private sectors, excluding agriculture) generated 200,000 new jobs in February, against 49,000 in January, and that the unemployment rate remained at 6.3%.
And all eyes are on the $ 1.9 trillion emergency plan, presented by Joe Biden, which is expected to boost the economy, just as the vaccination campaign is expected to allow a wider reopening. of many companies.
The plan was passed in the House of Representatives and the Senate is expected to vote this week, but abandoning the $ 15 minimum wage hike, before a final vote in the House of Representatives.
It includes, in addition to household checks and the extension of unemployment benefits, new aid for businesses and funds for local communities in order to maintain the employment of health personnel, firefighters, police officers, teachers, etc.
Private companies had destroyed 19.4 million jobs in April 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly put economic activity on hold.
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