Job growth was very strong last month nationally and may be equally as strong in the Bay Area when the numbers are released later this month, a labor economist said Friday.
The U.S. added 431,000 jobs in March, according to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with changes widespread among industries.
The manufacturing sector added 38,000 jobs while leisure and hospitality added 112,000. Wage growth among all workers has also been strong, but inflation is stronger, eating away purchasing power. Still, inflation offers a bit of a positive aspect.
“It is a sign that demand is strong,” said Amar Mann, a supervisory economist with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Annual inflation is running at 7.9 percent, while wages grew at a 5.6 percent. That’s solid wage growth, Mann said, but shows that prices are growing faster than wages, Mann said.
Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, is at 6.4 percent, said economist Matt Insco, also with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Energy costs rose by 25.6 percent while gasoline alone is up 38 percent. U.S. President Joseph Biden authorized the release of millions of gallons of oil from the nation’s reserves to try to lower gas prices.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat and California senator, lauded her parties efforts following the release of the job numbers.
“The March jobs report shows that Democrats’ economic strategy continues to power a strong jobs recovery, with Americans coming off the sidelines and getting back to work, Pelosi said in a statement.
“Since President Biden took office, our nation has created 7.9 million new jobs – including nearly half a million manufacturing jobs – and slashed the unemployment rate to near pre-pandemic levels at 3.6 percent with the help of our American Rescue Plan,” Pelosi said. “At the same time American workers’ wages are on the rise, especially among lower wage earners.”
Mann said by most measures the things we’re seeing nationally we are seeing in the Bay Area.
The country is about one million jobs shy of where it was pre-pandemic while that number is about 100,000 in the Bay Area.
Before the pandemic, jobs numbered 2,507,000 in the Bay Area, compared with the most current figure of 2,402,000, Mann said.
Shut up Nancy, the pandemic is ending and people are going back to work. Yeah, pat yourself on the back. How stupid do these politicians think we are?
I feel very sorry for all of the people who believe all these numbers and statements.
What’s the media that thinks that the average American is buying all this. Because the media is telling them so. Only idiots think that people are happy to get 6% extra salary but have to pay out 8% more in expenses.
Only people with their minds reduced to mush would think this was due to something other than the COVID HOAX. Everything is an illusion.
@bored @work:
Yes, because a loyal mouthpiece for the Democratic party would emphasize the facts that inflation is outpacing wage growth and the country (and Bay Area) are many, many jobs short of pre-pandemic levels, right?
Government forces millions of people out of jobs.
Government allows people to go back to work: “hey look at all the jobs WE created!”
These aren’t new jobs you political HACKS.
People are RETURNING to work, and it’s still way below what it was, if these metrics can even be relied upon since agencies have a wonderful habit of skewing everything so no one is liable and the political science is pushed in whatever way they deem necessary so we never have a real idea of what’s going on strictly from the numbers. Numbers have become so politically driven the only way to see what is actually happening is boots on the ground and observing with your own eyes. Self observation is 100% more accurate than some moron in a government office fudging numbers on a spreadsheet.
By the way, if you believe inflation is only at 6% I have a bridge to sell you. Government screwing with stats as always.
These dumb politicians couldn’t even pass algebra 2 let alone an intro to stat or advanced stat, and we expect them to understand the statistics they’re spouting off?
There are always enough statistics so anyone trying to sell a point of view can have some numbers to prove it. Note the number of employed persons is still below the pre-pandemic level. Wages adjusted for inflation are falling. A big reason for the good unemployment numbers is the low interest rates controlled by the Federal Reserve and the massive budget deficits, so it’s a sugar high that more economists are starting to warn may end badly.
Oh, Nancy. You just cannot let those uneducated voters go to waste, can you?!?!?
The article is not correct. Pelosi is NOT a US senator, she’s a member of the House of Representatives.
“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat and California senator, lauded her parties efforts following the release of the job numbers.”
@OG….
Good catch!
Whoever wrote that discussion at the top of the page obviously knows nothing about Congress – or California….
Unbelievable.
People RETURNING to work is NOT job growth. At best it’s recovery, but there’s still a loooooooong way to go to reach the record high employment levels we saw under Trump before Traitor Joe and the democrats did their best to destroy the economy.
Recovery to pre-pandemic levels is NOT job “creation.” I don’t care how you spin it. And the pandemic is ending in spite of the democrats.
That claim is right out of “1984.”
Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.
Time to move slow joe and Harris the ho to Room 101.
Taco Bell must be hiring.
What a Crock, if Bay Area job growth is so good why are they providing more free rent soon for many more months and the progressive think tank is preparing for more tax increases as always. Gas prices are still well over $6:00 a gallon due to Biden’s zero gas drilling in the USA. Food prices should also be investigated for false inflation. Has there been a cow and chicken shortage in the country? What’s next? Free housing for some, by Newsom that costs California taxpayers billions? Oh sorry thats already in full play…
Let’s hope the Tin man will provide some advice on how to vote in the next election. Good luck to us on that one!
Thank God for Joe Biden………he’s created so many jobs………He hasn’t screwed up the country in any way, shape or form. What would we do without such a Godsend?
🤮
Marxists don’t care about jobs. They look down on people who work. They only care about obtaining free money, printed out of thin air, to be given to the “ victims” of white supremacy, the trannies and the illegal immigrants. LoL
They are desperate because Biden regime is floundering and now they are trying to triangulate ( a term invented when Slick Willie became conservative after Lewinski) back before the mid-terms. If they really wanted to accomplish something they could recover some of that 30 billion dollars that the felons and illegals stole from EDD right?…