The unemployment rate, which has remained low for two years, has been inching higher in the first half of the year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the first time since January 2022, the unemployment rate ticked to 4.0% last month, up from 3.9% in April. Even though the employment rate has reached the highest it has been in a couple of years, 4% is still historically low, experts point out. Economists say people shouldn't be too concerned because both the number of jobs and the size of the labor force are growing. May's unemployment rate was impacted heavily by people, particularly those who are between 20 and 24 years old, entering and reentering the workforce, according to Moody's Analytics head labor economist Marisa DiNatale.

---

Persons: Marisa DiNatale, DiNatale Organizations: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Google