Nonfarm payroll employment continued to trend down in June (-62,000), while the unemployment rate held at 5.5 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Employment continued to fall in construction, manufacturing, and employment services, while health care and mining added jobs. Average hourly earnings rose by 6 cents, or 0.3 percent, over the month.

The number of unemployed persons was essentially unchanged in June, at 8.5 million, and the unemployment rate held at 5.5 percent. A year earlier, the number of unemployed persons was 7.0 million, and the jobless rate was 4.6 percent.

Following a large increase in May, the number of newly unemployed--those job-less fewer than 5 weeks--decreased by 532,000 in June. The number of persons un-employed 5 to 14 weeks rose by 530,000 over the month. The number of long-term unemployed (those persons jobless for 27 weeks or more) was essentially unchanged in June at 1.6 million; this group accounted for 18.4 percent of the unemployed.