Headlines

U.S. Jobs Market Unexpectedly Strong

But employment in retail sector remained stagnant in September.

Published

2 months ago

October 8, 2023

INSTORE Staff

While the overall U.S. job market grew strongly last month, retail payrolls remained unchanged. PHOTOGRAPHY: bernardbodo/iStock.com

Total nonfarm payroll employment in the U.S. rose by 336,000 in September, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.8 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. As a result, the job market – whose uptick was the largest since January – was variously characterized by major publications as “booming,” (USA Today); “surging,” (The Wall Street Journal); and “sizzling,” (Reuters).

The biggest gains occurred in leisure and hospitality; government; health care; professional, scientific and technical services; and social assistance. However, employment showed little change over the month in the following sectors: retail, mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction, construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, financial activities and other services.

“The U.S. labor market clearly still has some gas in the tank,” Nick Bunker, head of economic research for job site Indeed.com, told USA Today.

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”