Washington, DC - Americans’ confidence in the U.S. job market is the highest in Gallup’s trend originating in 2001, with 71% in May saying now is a good time to find a quality job. This represents a significant improvement from March and April, when 65% each month rated the job market favorably. Today’s level is similar to February’s 69% reading.
The latest survey was conducted May 1-12, with most of the interviews collected after the May 3 Labor Department report announcing that unemployment in April had fallen to 3.6%, the lowest in nearly 50 years.
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More recently, the percentage of Americans viewing the job market positively first surpassed 60% in September 2017 and averaged 65% in 2018.
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Americans’ broader perceptions of the U.S. economy in May are similar to what Gallup has found over much of the past year, including in March and April.
51% of Americans rate current economic conditions as excellent or good, essentially unchanged from last month’s 50%.
Just over half of U.S. adults, 54%, say economic conditions are getting better. This is up from 49% in April, but nearly identical to February and March.
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The longer-term picture shows that Americans’ positive perceptions of both the economy and the job market are substantially improved today over the prior decade, particularly from 2008 through 2011, as the country was entering and then recovering from the recession and global financial crisis.
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