Employment Statistics - In March 2025, total employment across all covered industries was 2,714,400, a decrease of 0.5% or 14,500 jobs compared to the same period last year [1][2] - The most significant employment increases were observed in the accommodation services sector (4.0% or 1,500 jobs), human health services (3.9% or 6,000 jobs), and real estate (3.7% or 5,100 jobs) [2] - Conversely, notable employment declines occurred in the retail sector (-4.6% or -11,100 jobs), wholesale trade (-3.4% or -1,700 jobs), information and communications (-3.3% or -3,600 jobs), and food services (-2.8% or -6,300 jobs) [2] Job Vacancy Statistics - As of March 2025, there were 55,170 job vacancies in private institutions, a decrease of 27% or 20,010 vacancies compared to the previous year [1][3] - The education sector accounted for 5,660 vacancies, followed by professional and business services (5,050), accommodation and social work services (4,950), food services (4,860), and financial and insurance services (4,660) [3] - Significant reductions in job vacancies were noted in transportation, warehousing, postal and courier services (-5,080 or -58%), human health services (-2,760 or -43%), and professional and business services (-1,670 or -25%) [3] Seasonally Adjusted Statistics - Seasonally adjusted figures indicated a slight increase of less than 0.05% in total employment and a decrease of 7.3% in total job vacancies when comparing March 2025 to December 2024 [4]

Group 1 - Fitch Ratings has downgraded the growth outlook for North American non-financial companies for 2025, changing the rating outlook from "stable" to "negative" [1] - The downgrade is attributed to the potential impact of high tariff policies by the U.S. government, which may trigger a new wave of inflation and weaken consumer purchasing power, creating dual pressure on economic operations [1] - The downgrade affects several consumer-oriented sectors, including retail, alcoholic beverages, food services, global automotive manufacturing, and oil and gas extraction [1] Group 2 - Fitch notes that companies are struggling to maintain operational data through price increase strategies, contrasting with the previous inflation cycle of 2022-2023, where strong employment and fiscal stimulus supported consumer markets [1] - The agency predicts that if consumers cannot absorb price increases from tariffs, companies will be forced to adopt unconventional operational strategies, such as cost-cutting and delaying capital expenditures to maintain cash flow [1] - Despite the downgrade, Fitch maintains its basic judgment that the U.S. economy will not experience a technical recession in 2025-2026, but highlights that regulatory policy uncertainty is eroding economic growth momentum [1] Group 3 - In terms of industry rating differentiation, Fitch maintains a "stable" outlook for software technology services and business services, citing digital transformation demand as a stable support for related companies [2] - The aerospace and defense industry received an upgrade, driven by the recovery of the global civil aviation market leading to increased aircraft orders and sustained defense budget investments from major economies [2]