3/8/2022 – MetroIntelligence Economic Update by P. DUFFY

MetroIntelligence Economic Update by P. DUFFY

 

February employment soars by 678,000, unemployment rate edges back down to 3.8 percent

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 678,000 in February, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.8 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job growth was widespread, led by gains in leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, health care, and construction.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

 

February hourly earnings flat from January, up 5.1 percent year-on-year

Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls, at $31.58 in February, were little changed over the month (+1 cent), after large increases in recent months. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 5.1 percent.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

 

NAHB:  Households priced out of market with rising interest rates

New NAHB 2022 Priced-Out Estimates showed that 87.5 million households are not able to afford a median priced new home, and that additional 117,932 households would be priced out of the new home market if the price goes up by $1,000. For a new home with an estimated median price of $412,506 in 2022 and the recent 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate of 3.5%, a quarter percentage point increase in the interest rate would price out approximately 1.1 million households.

https://eyeonhousing.org/2022/03/households-priced-out-by-higher-interest-rates-2/