Bureau of Labor Statistics

The number of job openings in the U.S. topped 9 million in May, according to Labor Department. The number of people quitting their jobs eased slightly from April but remains high.

Winston-Salem has made big strides when it comes to recovering from the economic toll of the pandemic.

The last time the U.S. jobless percentage sat below 4 percent was in December of 2000. April brought net job gains, but fell short of economists' predictions.

The Labor Department also cut previous estimates for job growth in June and July by 41,000.

After adding more than 200,000 jobs in each of the first two months of 2017, the number of jobs added last month was about half what analysts had expected. The unemployment rate fell to 4.5 percent.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate stayed about where it has been, dropping just a tenth of a percentage point to 4.7 percent. All in all, the report builds on strong jobs gains in January.

Over the course of 2016, average hourly earnings rose 2.9 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says. The unemployment rate was little changed: 4.7 percent, compared to 4.6 percent in November.

The U.S. added 178,000 new jobs in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which was about what was expected. However, wages dropped slightly, after an 11-cent gain in October.

Economists had expected between 170,000 and 176,000 new jobs last month. The unemployment rate rose slightly, to 5 percent from 4.9 percent.

The monthly jobs report fell short of expectations, both in terms of job growth and the unemployment rate. Economists had anticipated 180,000 new jobs and a slight drop in unemployment.