April 2018 gave the U.S. the lowest unemployment number in nearly two decades, falling to 3.9%. This is the first time the nation has seen the jobless rate below 4 percent since 2000. While job gains were lower than expected, this data still indicates good news for the American workforce.
Industries on the upswing include professional and business services, manufacturing and healthcare.
Rebecca Henderson, CEO of Randstad Sourceright, believes that the low unemployment level "is finally spurring the wage growth economists have been looking for” as average hourly pay edged up to $26.84 (non-farm payroll).
The biggest beneficiaries of today’s labor trends might be women in the workforce, with Henderson suggesting that the time is right for companies to start closing the gender wage gap. It's a "perfect storm of labor market and cultural transformation," she says.
See the rest of the NPR report here, and then explore ways that your company can elevate the discussion of diversity and inclusion in the workforce.
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