US Labor Market br Unexpectedly Improves in May The Labor Department released br the May jobless numbers on Friday. There was a 1.4 percent drop br in joblessness from 14.7 percent br to 13.3 percent. This equates to the addition of br 2.509 million nonfarm payroll jobs. Surveys reveal that consumer br confidence is stabilizing amid br the global coronavirus pandemic. Labor Department Statement, via Reuters Economists had predicted br a continued fall in unemployment for May. br Some expected the jobless rate to reach 19.8 percent. The U.S. stock market br made significant gains in early trading br on Friday in reaction to the Labor Department numbers.