By Tanko Mohammed
Beating his chest, U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said the country’s economy added almost five million jobs in June.
Trump said at a news briefing that it was the largest monthly job gain in U.S. history, “shattering all market expectations”.
He took credit for the declining unemployment rate, which he attributed to his administration’s trade policy and economic stimulus package.
The president’s remarks came after the Bureau of Labour Statistics reported an 11.1 per cent decline in the country’s unemployment rate in June, down from 13.3 per cent in May.
According to the president, the employment figure brings to 7.5 million the total number of jobs created by the U.S. since May.
“Today’s announcement proves that our economy is roaring back, it’s coming back extremely strong,” he said.
Trump, however, stated that there were “some areas where we are putting out the flames”, referring to states experiencing a spike in new COVID-19 infections.
He said his administration was working closely with the governors of the affected states, and that the results would be visible shortly.
“In June, we added 2.1 million leisure and hospitality jobs, 740,000 retail jobs, 568,000 education and healthcare jobs, 357,000 service jobs.
“These are all historic numbers, and 356,000 manufacturing jobs, and manufacturing looks like it is ready to really take off at a level that has never been before,” he said.
The president attributed the success partly to his administration’s trade policy, which he said, was restoring manufacturing activities lost by the country.
On the new job demography, Trump said African Americans made “historic gains” with a record 404,000 jobs added in June.
He said when added to the May figure, the total currently stood at a record 700,000 new jobs for African Americans in two months.
“Likewise, Hispanic employment is up by 1.5 million jobs, a record by a lot.
“Three million more women were employed in the month of June, we have never had a number like that.”
The president added that 80 per cent of small businesses were now open in the U.S., with “very good numbers” expected in the coming months.
No fewer than 45 million people have filed unemployment claims since the country shut down in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
