Two-Month Uptick In Broadcast Jobs Hints At Stabilizing Workforce.

For the first time in more than a year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported back-to-back increases in the number of Americans working in broadcasting. The government does not release radio-specific monthly numbers, but it says the wider broadcasting sector — which includes television and other content providers — posted a 0.9% increase in employment between April and May. That follows a 2.5% increase in the prior month.

BLS says 336,000 people were working in the sector last month on a seasonally-adjusted basis. That was up from 335,100 in March. The number remains lower than a year ago, however, when 342,100 people were working in broadcasting according to the government figures. BLS does not provide any insights or analysis on the data, but the trend could reflect a bounce-back from a series of staffing cuts announced at the end of last year.

In the other media-related sector, BLS says employment in publishing rose 0.1% to 919,800 in May. Similar to broadcasting, it also marked two months of back-to-back employment gains in the print workforce. Even more noteworthy is the print numbers were up 0.3% from a year ago.

Employment in advertising, which is closely tied to media, has been climbing during the past few years, had its sixth consecutive down month. BLS says 488,600 people were working in advertising and public relations last month, a decline of 2.1% from April. And it is down about 8,800 year-to-year. The all-time peak in advertising employment was reached in April 2024, when the total hit 523,800. In the months since, the BLS figures have fluctuated month-to-month between small gains and losses, but with four months of declines the data suggests the ad business is under pressure.

Fears that business worries about the tariffs and weakening consumer sentiment have not had a major impact on the overall U.S. labor market, according to the monthly update from BLS. It says 139,000 non-farm jobs were created in May. While that is fewer than the 147,000 revised total reported in April, the government says employment continued to trend up in health care, leisure and hospitality, and social assistance. Federal government employment continued to decline in May, falling by 22,000, and it is down by 59,000 since January.

The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%. The unemployment rate has remained in a narrow range of 4.0% to 4.2 % since May 2024. The number of unemployed people, at 7.2 million, changed little in May.

Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 15 cents in May to $36.24. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.9%. And the average workweek for all employees remained at 33.7 hours last month.

“While today’s jobs report beat expectations, it reinforces a picture of a labor market with little momentum,” said Kory Kantenga, Head of Economics at LinkedIn in a post. “In any case, steady job gains, low unemployment, and stable conditions are likely enough to keep the Federal Reserve on the sidelines.”