The U.S. economy added only 69,000 new jobs in May, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor, and the official unemployment rate rose to 8.2%, up from the 8.1% reported in April.
Economists had been forecasting about 155,000 new jobs.
The May data follows a disappointing jobs report in April, when 115,000 new jobs originally were reported. Revisions from previous months also showed the economy gained 49,000 fewer jobs in March and April than first reported.
In May, private sector hiring was pegged at only 82,000 new jobs, while the public sector, or government, lost 13,000 jobs.
Private sector industries that added positions included health care, transportation, and manufacturing. Meanwhile, the construction industry saw its largest monthly labor decline in two years, shedding 13,000 jobs in May.
The underemployment rate, which includes the unemployed and part-time workers who are seeking full-time work, rose to 14.8%.
Even the lone bright spot in May comes with a caveat. While 642,000 people re-entered the labor force, usually a sign of growing optimism, the jump mostly is attributed to graduating college students who now are looking for work. In recent months, the unemployment rate had dropped in part because people have left the workforce.
Economists placed some of the blame on events in Europe, where the European Union’s financial difficulties continue to worry investors, and on the slowdown in China’s economy. Republican lawmakers blamed President Obama’s policies, which they say includes government-imposed costs that are suppressing new job creation.
