Chemical industry employment in the U.S. slipped by 2,700 to 775,300 people in January, but overall, nonfarm payrolls rose, according to data collected by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com).
Citing information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the U.S., ACC said in its most recent Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report that the increase by 36,000 in the nonfarm payrolls was “far less than expected.” The gain follows an upwardly revised increase of 121,000 in December.
“Harsh winter weather likely dampened job creation,” ACC said. Job losses occurred in construction, nondurable manufacturing, transportation services, finance, government and other. The losses were more than offset, however, by jobs added in durable manufacturing, mining, trade, professional services, education and others.
Still, the unemployment rate fell for the second straight month in the U.S. to 9.0%, although it was likely more a result of workers leaving the labor force. “The labor market remains slack overall,” ACC said.
The gain in overall manufacturing employment of 49,000 jobs in January was the largest monthly gain since 1998. “This suggests that confidence in the manufacturing recovery has strengthened,” ACC says.
Outside the U.S., the ACC said that the pace of industrial growth has moderated in a number of emerging markets, including Brazil. The ACC report states that inflationary pressures such as rising food prices appear to be mounting in several economies.
On a whole, economic reports for the first week of February indicate that economies are “off to a good start in 2011,” the ACC report said.