Labor Market Tightens Further, Fostering Upward Pressure on Wages, Interest Rates
- In rare feat, unemployment drops below 4 percent. Employers added 199,000 personnel to payrolls in December, below the 2021 monthly average of 537,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate fell 30 basis points to 3.9 percent.
- Recent hiring indicative of strong industrial space needs. The transportation and warehousing sector grew by 19,000 personnel last month, raising the total headcount to 218,000 above the February 2020 level.
- Office tenants continue to hire staff; in-person return delayed. Ongoing job growth in professional and business services has lifted the traditionally office-using sector close to its pre-pandemic headcount.
Additional Trends:
- Labor participation subdued despite low unemployment. While the unemployment rate has contracted to just 40 basis points above the pre-pandemic rate, labor participation has not fully recovered.
- Falling unemployment bolsters Fed’s policy change. Job openings in excess of job seekers and a sub-4 percent unemployment rate imply the economy is essentially at full employment for the current pandemic situation.
Sources: Marcus & Millichap Research Services; Bureau of Labor Statistics