Jobs are booming again, folks! Nonfarm payrolls surged by 139,000 in May 2025, outpacing the Dow Jones estimate of 125,000, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as CNBC reports. This isn’t just a number -- it’s a signal that the Trump economy is showing some real fight.
In May, payrolls climbed, unemployment stayed at 4.2%, wages grew 3.9% year-over-year, and sectors like health care and hospitality led the charge, though government jobs took a hit. Revisions cut April’s payrolls to 147,000 and March’s to 120,000, showing the labor market’s been a bit wobblier than thought. Still, markets cheered, with stock futures and Treasury yields ticking up.
Let’s rewind to March and April. Those months got a reality check, with payrolls revised down by 65,000 and 30,000, respectively. Seems the earlier hype was a tad overblown, but May’s rebound keeps the engine humming.
Health care added a robust 62,000 jobs in May, well above its 12-month average of 44,000. Leisure and hospitality chipped in 48,000, proving Americans are still dining out and traveling. Social assistance rounded out the winners with 16,000 new roles.
But not everyone’s celebrating. Government employment shed 22,000 jobs, thanks to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency trimming the federal fat. That’s the kind of lean governance conservatives crave.
“Stronger than expected jobs growth and stable unemployment underlines the resilience of the US labor market,” said Lindsay Rosner from Goldman Sachs. Resilient? Sure, but let’s not pop the champagne when revisions show cracks in the foundation. The progressive spin can’t hide the uneven recovery.
Wages are up, and that’s no small feat. Average hourly earnings rose 0.4% month-over-month, beating the 0.3% forecast, and jumped 3.9% from last year, topping the expected 3.7%. Workers’ wallets are feeling a bit heavier, but inflation’s shadow looms.
The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, which sounds fine until you dig deeper. A broader measure, counting discouraged workers and the underemployed, stuck at 7.8%. That’s a lot of folks still struggling from Joe Biden’s so-called “robust” economy.
“The May jobs report still has everyone waiting for the other shoe to drop,” said Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor’s lead economist. Waiting for collapse, Daniel? The market’s standing tall, but your gloom-and-doom vibe smells like left-leaning fearmongering.
The household survey paints a grimmer picture. It showed a whopping 696,000 workers vanishing from the labor force in May. Full-time jobs tanked by 623,000, while part-time gigs crept up by 33,000 -- hardly the “resilience” Rosner’s crowing about.
Markets, though, shrugged it off. Stock futures climbed, and Treasury yields inched higher post-report. Investors seem to bet on growth, but that household data’s a warning shot for anyone paying attention.
“This report shows the job market standing tall, but as economic headwinds stack up, it’s only a matter of time before the job market starts straining,” Zhao added. Headwinds? Try the progressive policies, piling on regulations and taxes, Daniel.
The Federal Reserve is gearing up for its mid-June 2025 meeting, and markets expect rates to stay put. Friday, June 6, was the last day before the Fed’s quiet period, so this jobs report is the final clue for now. No rate cuts yet, and that’s probably wise.
Rosner claims the Fed is “laser-focused” on inflation and won’t budge after this report. “Today’s stronger-than-expected jobs report will do little to alter its patient approach,” she said. Patient? Good -- rushing to slash rates would only fuel the left’s inflationary mess.
May’s jobs numbers are a mixed bag: solid payrolls, wage growth, and market optimism, but troubling household data and government job cuts signal caution. Trump and Musk’s efficiency push is a step toward fiscal sanity, yet the labor market’s not out of the woods. Conservatives should cheer the progress but keep their eyes peeled for the next economic curveball.
