June saw the US joblessness and employment figures change very little, although there were 18,000 new positions created in the country during the month.

According to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the non-farm payroll rate of people in work remained relatively stable at 9.2 per cent, with public sector roles dipping and most private industries witnessing a rise in recruitment.

The report also showed that there has been a 0.4 point increase in unemployment during the period since March 2011, with an additional 545,000 people on the register, while the labor force has changed little during the same period.

Sectors that saw sharp climbs in jobs in June included professional and technical services (24,000), healthcare jobs in the US (14,000) and mining (8,000).

Further data published by Automatic Data Processing recently suggested that the private sector in the US is hiring, with such firms creating an estimated 157,000 posts in June 2011, rising from 36,000 roles in May this year.

Posted by Fiona Summers