Economic News: Payrolls Grow and Wholesale Inventories Remain Tight

By Patrick Lunsford, CollectionIndustry.com

The U.S. Labor Department reported today that U.S. nonfarm payrolls grew by 243,000 in February. Analysts surveyed by various news outlets had expected the increase to be a little more than 200,000. Despite the rise in payroll numbers, the unemployment rate inched up to 4.8% in February, from a five-year low of 4.7% in January.

In its revisions, the Labor Department decreased job growth estimates in December and January by a total of 18,000.

Average hourly earnings stood at $16.47, an increase of 5 cents, or 0.3%, over January’s average. For the year, hourly earnings are up 3.5%, the fastest growth in nearly five years. But, when adjusted for inflation, real wages have actually fallen in the past 12 months.

In a separate release today, the Commerce Department reported an increase of 0.1% in U.S. wholesale inventories. Sales increased 1%. The difference in sales growth and inventory growth could signal higher production down the road.