September 16, 2022

United States Employment Situation

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data for the 50 states and DC released at 10:00am on September 16, 2022


New Hampshire Employment Situation



New Hampshire Payroll Employment

New Hampshire lost 3,200 net payroll jobs, or -0.5 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during August. In the prior month, New Hampshire added 600 jobs. Over the past twelve months, New Hampshire added 8,300 payroll jobs, or 1.2 percent. New Hampshire nonfarm payroll employment had increased in 8 of the past 12 months.

Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 315,000 in August, or rose by 0.2 percent. Over the 12-month period ending with August, nonfarm payrolls rose by 5,840,000 jobs, or 4 percent. New Hampshire ranks 49th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

During August, New Hampshire’s private-sector lost 900 jobs, or approximately -0.2 percent. The private-sector in New Hampshire added 500 jobs in the prior month. Over the past twelve months, private-sector payrolls in New Hampshire added 11,000, or 1.9 percent. New Hampshire private-sector payroll employment has increased in 7 of the past 12 months.

Nationally, private-sector payroll jobs rose by 308,000 jobs in August, or 0.2 percent. Over the past 12 months, the national payroll rose by 5,702,000 jobs in the private sector, or 4.6 percent. New Hampshire ranks 46th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia for a percentage gain in private-sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.

The best performing sectors on a seasonally adjusted basis during August were Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (5,400) and Education and Health Services (4,200). The poorest performing sectors during the month were Manufacturing tied with Other Services (-600) and Leisure and Hospitality (-1,000).

The best performing sectors during the last twelve months were Leisure and Hospitality (49,400) and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (47,000). The poorest performing sectors during the last twelve months were Mining and Logging (100) and Information (-1,100).



New Hampshire Labor Force Statistics

Labor Force Participation

The labor force participation rate in New Hampshire rose to 65.8 percent in August from 65.7 percent in the prior month. At a labor force participation rate of 65.8 percent, New Hampshire is tied for 13th in the nation. The labor force participation rate in New Hampshire rose by 0.3 percentage point from a year earlier. The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the civilian noninstitutionalized population age 16 and older who are employed or actively looking for work.

The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in New Hampshire was 69.4 percent last occurring in January 2013. The series high for the labor force participation rate in New Hampshire last occurred in April 1990 when the labor force participation rate hit 73.6 percent. The 10-year low for the labor force participation rate was 65.2 percent , last occurring in February 2022. This also represents the series low for the labor force participation rate in New Hampshire.

The national labor force participation rate rose by 0.3 percentage points over the month to 62.4 percent in August. That rate rose by 0.7 percentage point from a year earlier. The all-time high for the national labor force participation rate was 67.3 percent in April 2000. The 10-year high for the national labor force participation rate was 63.8 percent in October 2012. The recent 10-year low occurred in April 2020 at a level of 60.2 percent. The series low for the national labor force participation rate was 58.1 percent in December 1954.

Employment-to-Population Ratio

The employment-to-population ratio, or the percentage of the New Hampshire civilian noninstitutionalized population 16 years and older counted as employed, in August rose to 64.5 from 64.4 percent in the prior month. At 64.5 percent, New Hampshire is tied for 9th among state employment-to-population ratios in the nation. The employment-to-population ratio in New Hampshire rose by 1.2 percentage points from a year earlier.

The 10-year high for the employment-to-population ratio in New Hampshire was 67 percent last occurring in October 2019. The series high for the employment-to-population ratio in New Hampshire occurred in September 1987 when the employment-to-population ratio hit 70.9 percent. The 10-year low for the employment-to-population ratio was 54.8 percent in April 2020. This also represents the series low for the employment-to-population ratio in New Hampshire.

The national employment-to-population ratio rose by 0.1 percentage point over the month to 60.1 percent in August. That rate rose by 1.6 percentage points from a year earlier. The all-time high for the national employment-to-population rato was 64.7 percent in April 2000. The 10-year high for the national employment-to-population ratio was 61.2 percent in February 2020. The recent 10-year low occurred in April 2020 at a level of 51.3 percent. The series low for the employment-to-population ratio was 51.3 percent in April 2020.

State employment and unemployment data for September is scheduled for release October 21, 2022. The national employment situation report for September will be released October 07, 2022.