The U.S. economy continued to show strength at the start of 2019, as the Labor Department reported Friday that businesses added 304,000 jobs in the month of January, marking the 100th straight month of job growth, as the overall unemployment rate edged up slightly to 4.0 percent.
“The 100th straight month of gains indicates that labor market remains robust and that the economy remains quite strong despite recent turmoil in the financial markets,” said Tendayi Kapfidze, a Chief Economist with Lending Tree.
“The American economy continues to thrive,” said Rep. Bradley Bryne (R-AL), as the jobs report represented another positive monthly tally for the Trump Administration.
“Job gains occurred in several industries, including leisure and hospitality, construction, health care, and transportation and warehousing,” the feds reported.
The January job growth numbers would be the second best report under President Donald Trump; originally, that had been in December’s report, but the Labor Department made an unusually large downward revision in the number of jobs reported that month, as December went from a gain of 312,000 to 222,000.
“After revisions, job gains have averaged 241,000 per month over the last 3 months,” the report stated.
“Our economy continues to boom,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).
“Now is the time to push for more pro-growth policies, not reckless tax hikes and government spending,” said Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN).
The 100 straight months of job growth extends all the way back to September of 2010, when the U.S. economy was still trying to get out of the recession that hit in 2008.
