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U.S. Employers Probably Added Fewest Jobs in 2 Years Last Month
By Joe Richter
March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Job growth in the U.S. was probably the weakest in two years last month as the economy struggled to overcome weakness in housing and manufacturing, economists said before a government report today.
The projected 95,000 increase in payrolls would follow a 111,000 gain in January and is about half the average number of jobs created in 2006. The unemployment rate probably stayed at 4.6 percent in February, still close to a five-year low.
Snowstorms hampered homebuilding, aggravating a slump in construction, while an economic slowdown that carried over from last year made other employers more hesitant to add workers, economists said. Limited hiring may take some momentum out of consumer spending, which Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke has called a ``mainstay'' of growth.
``The labor market is continuing to perform fairly well, but businesses will be more cautious and job growth won't be as good as last year,'' said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group Inc. in Pittsburgh. ``Consumers probably won't sustain the pace of spending we saw in the fourth quarter.''
The payrolls forecast is based on the median estimate of 80 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. The Labor Department will release the jobs report at 8:30 a.m. in Washington. Forecasts for the increase in payrolls ranged from 38,000 to 165,000.
A Commerce Department report scheduled for the same time will probably show the U.S. trade deficit narrowed to $59.8 billion in January from $61.2 billion the month before, based on the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg.
Wholesale Inventories
A separate report from the Commerce Department at 10 a.m. may show inventories at U.S. wholesalers rose 0.1 percent in January after a 0.5 percent decline the month before.
Forecasts for the unemployment rate ranged from 4.5 percent to 4.7 percent. October's 4.4 percent rate was the lowest since May 2001.
Because fewer people are entering the labor force than in years past, smaller payroll gains are needed each month to keep the unemployment rate steady.
Economists estimate workers' earnings rose 0.3 percent in February and 3.9 percent from the same time last year, the survey showed. The year-over-year increase compares with a 4 percent rise reported for the prior month.
``Wage pressures increased slightly in several districts, although pay increases generally remained moderate across the country,'' the Fed said March 7 in its regional survey known as the beige book.
Weakening Growth
A third of the Fed's 12 district banks reported some signs of weakening growth. Fed Bank of Chicago President Michael Moskow said the same day that concern about high inflation still outweighs the risk of slower economic growth.
The economy expanded at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter as residential construction posted its biggest decline since 1991. Growth slowed from a 4.1 percent average rate in the first half.
The pace of growth will remain subdued at 2.4 percent this quarter, according to the median estimate of 75 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News from March 1 to March 7. Growth will pick up to 3 percent by year's end, the survey showed.
A report released this week by ADP Employer Services said companies added 57,000 jobs in February, the fewest since July 2003. The ADP data are based on private payrolls and frequently don't match the Labor Department figures, which include government jobs.
Construction Employment
Some 40,000 construction jobs were probably lost in February, according to projections from JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York. Weather played a part.
Planalytics Inc., a Wayne, Pennsylvania-based weather consulting firm, said a winter storm system that swept from the Midwest through the East Coast was the ``largest and most disruptive'' of the year. The South experienced thunderstorms, while widespread rainfall was reported in the Pacific Northwest.
Manufacturers probably shed 19,000 jobs last month, based on the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg. That would bring the number of factory jobs lost during the past six months to 125,000.
Alcoa Inc., the world's largest aluminum maker, said March 1 that it will close a food packaging plant in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky, and shed 115 jobs as part of a plan to improve profit.
Still, Fed Chairman Bernanke said in congressional testimony last month that he expects the economy to improve in the second half of the year. A survey released this week by the Business Roundtable in Washington showed confidence among U.S. chief executives rose in the first quarter for the first time in a year.
Business Spending
More companies told the Business Roundtable they plan to boost spending on new plants and equipment.
Toyota Motor Corp., the world's second-largest automaker, plans to build a $1.3 billion assembly plant in Mississippi. The Toyota City, Japan-based company, which last year opened its sixth North American auto plant in San Antonio, expects to employ 2,000 people at the Mississippi facility.
The Business Roundtable survey found that the proportion of companies planning to increase hiring fell to 33 percent from 37 percent in the prior quarter.
Companies ``are going to be very cautious at this point,'' Terry McGraw, chairman of the Business Roundtable and chairman and chief executive officer of McGraw-Hill Cos., said in an interview. ``It's going to be a slow increase'' in hiring.
First-time claims for unemployment benefits during February averaged 334,000 a week, up from an average last year of 313,000, government figures show.
Bloomberg Survey
FIRM Trade Nonfarm Unemploy Avg Hrly Balance Payroll Rate Earnings -------------------------------------------------- Number of replies 69 80 78 59 MEDIAN -$59.8 95 4.6% 0.3% AVERAGE -$60.0 98 4.6% 0.3% High Forecast -$56.0 165 4.7% 0.5% Low Forecast -$66.0 38 4.5% 0.1% Previous -$61.2 111 4.6% 0.2% -------------------------------------------------- 4CAST Ltd. -$58.8 90 4.6% 0.3% Action Economics -$58.7 90 4.6% 0.4% AIG Global Invest. -$56.0 107 4.7% 0.4% Alleti Gestielle SGR -$59.2 95 4.6% n/a Allianz Dresdner -$60.0 90 4.7% 0.3% Argus Research -$59.1 40 4.6% 0.3% BMO Capital Markets -$60.9 100 4.6% 0.3% BNP Paribas -$60.0 75 4.7% 0.2% B of A Securities -$59.5 120 4.6% 0.3% Banca IMI n/a 100 n/a n/a Bancolombia SA n/a 102 n/a n/a Banco Itau Europa n/a 120 4.7% n/a Bantleon Bank AG n/a 70 4.6% n/a Barclays Capital -$61.0 115 4.6% 0.3% Bayerische Landes. -$60.0 100 4.7% 0.2% Bear Stearns -$60.0 125 4.5% 0.3% BOT- Mitsubishi -$58.6 80 4.7% 0.3% Briefing.com -$59.5 100 4.7% 0.4% Calyon -$59.6 135 4.6% 0.2% CFC Group -$66.0 80 4.7% 0.5% CIBC World Markets -$60.5 95 4.6% 0.2% Citigroup -$65.0 90 4.7% 0.3% ClearView Economics -$60.0 150 4.7% 0.3% Commerzbank -$59.5 100 4.6% 0.3% Countrywide SEC -$60.0 80 4.6% 0.2% Credit Suisse -$59.5 90 4.7% 0.3% Daiwa Securities -$63.0 135 4.6% n/a Danske Bank n/a 120 4.6% n/a DekaBank -$58.5 90 4.7% 0.3% Desjardins Group -$58.8 95 4.6% 0.3% Deutsche Bank -$60.5 75 4.7% 0.2% Deutsche PostBank -$60.0 110 4.6% n/a Dresdner Kleinwort -$59.0 85 4.6% 0.2% DZ Bank -$62.2 120 4.6% 0.3% Essen Hyp. n/a 130 n/a n/a FIMAT-Cube n/a 90 4.6% 0.3% FTN Financial -$61.0 50 4.6% 0.2% First Trust Advisors -$59.8 38 4.5% 0.4% Fortis -$58.7 130 4.6% n/a Goldman Sachs -$59.0 50 4.6% 0.3% H&R Block Financial -$59.0 75 4.6% 0.3% High Frequency -$62.0 150 4.6% 0.3% HSBC Markets -$59.0 70 4.6% 0.3% Horizon Investments -$58.5 110 4.6% n/a HypoVereinsbank -$59.5 130 4.6% n/a IDEAglobal -$60.4 100 4.6% 0.3% ING Barings -$59.3 130 4.6% 0.3% Informa Global -$59.5 95 4.6% 0.3% Insight Economics -$60.0 75 4.6% 0.3% Intesa-SanPaulo -$59.2 50 4.7% n/a J.P. Morgan Chase -$60.7 100 4.6% n/a JPMorgan Private -$61.5 80 4.6% 0.3% Lehman -$61.0 130 4.6% 0.3% Lloyds TSB -$62.5 120 4.6% 0.3% Maria Fiorini -$58.5 100 4.6% 0.3% Merrill Lynch -$62.2 90 4.6% 0.2% MFC Global Invest. -$61.0 70 4.6% 0.2% Mizuho Securities -$58.0 80 4.7% 0.2% Moody's Economy.com -$60.7 90 4.6% 0.2% Morgan Stanley -$61.4 40 4.7% 0.4% National Bank Fin. -$60.0 50 4.7% 0.3% National City Bank -$59.5 163 4.6% 0.3% Nomura -$59.4 95 4.6% 0.1% Nord/LB -$59.5 120 4.6% n/a PNC Bank n/a 125 4.6% 0.3% Promotora Bursatil n/a n/a 4.7% n/a Regions Financial n/a 90 4.6% n/a Ried, Thunberg -$59.7 100 4.7% n/a Scotia Capital -$61.0 80 4.6% 0.2% Societe Generale -$61.0 130 4.6% 0.3% Stone & McCarthy -$58.6 110 4.6% 0.4% TD Securities n/a 120 4.6% n/a Thomson/IFR -$61.7 165 4.7% 0.3% TD Securities -$59.8 90 4.6% 0.2% Tullett Prebon n/a 50 4.6% 0.2% Unigest -$60.9 110 4.6% 0.2% Univ. of MD -$58.8 115 4.6% n/a Wachovia -$58.7 90 4.6% n/a Wells Fargo -$59.5 90 4.6% 0.3% WestLB AG -$60.0 90 4.7% n/a Westpac Banking -$59.0 100 4.6% 0.3% To contact the reporter on this story: Joe Richter in Washington jrichter1@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: March 9, 2007 00:03 EST |