• Skip to main navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Realty Solutions Group

Service Beyond Expectations

SearchClose

Latest Jobs Report: What Does It Mean for You & the Housing Market?

Latest Jobs Report: What Does It Mean for You & the Housing Market? | Simplifying The Market

Last Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released a very encouraging jobs report. The economy gained 916,000 jobs in March – well above expert projections of 650,000 to 675,000. The unemployment rate fell again and is now at 6%.

What does this mean for you?

Our lives are deeply impacted by our nation’s economy. The better the economy is doing overall, the better most individuals in the country will do as well. Here’s a look at what four experts told the Wall Street Journal after reviewing last week’s report.

Michael Feroli, JPMorgan Chase:

“The powerful tailwind of the reopening of economic activity appears to be gathering force; while the level of employment last month was still 8.4 million positions below that which prevailed before the pandemic, it is reasonable to expect that a majority of those lost jobs will be recouped in coming months.”

Mike Fratantoni, Mortgage Bankers Association:

“We fully expect that this pace of job gains will continue for months, and anticipate that the unemployment rate, now at 6%, will be well below 5% by the end of the year.”

Paul Ashworth, Capital Economics:

“With the vaccination program likely to reach critical mass within the next couple of months and the next round of fiscal stimulus providing a big boost, there is finally real light at the end of the tunnel.”

Jason Schenker, Prestige Economics:

“People are getting back to work and the vaccine isn’t just inoculating the population, it’s clearly inoculating the economy.”

What does this mean for residential real estate?

Today, the biggest challenge for homebuyers is the lack of homes currently for sale. With listing inventory down 52% from a year ago, bidding wars are skyrocketing. As a result, home prices are climbing.

One answer to this challenge is to build more homes to satisfy the demand. The latest jobs report gives hope for new housing construction, and therefore brings hope to buyers as well. Here’s what three industry economists said about the increase in construction jobs revealed in the report:

Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist, National Association of Realtors:

“Construction jobs boomed in March, one of the largest monthly gains ever. This raises the prospect for more home building and more inventory reaching the market in the upcoming months. The housing market has been hot with fast rising home prices but has been constrained by a lack of supply. By hiring more workers and building more homes, home prices will move to a manageable level to give more Americans a shot at ownership.”

Odeta Kushi, Deputy Chief Economist, First American:

“Great jobs report for a housing market in an inventory crisis. Residential construction building jobs increased 3.9% from pre-2020 recession peak in Feb. 2020. The construction industry remains a labor-intensive industry. We need more hammers at work to build more homes.”

Robert Dietz, Chief Economist, National Association of Home Builders:

“Good job numbers in March for residential construction. 37,000 gain from Feb to March. 3.03 million total employment for home builders and remodelers, and up 49,100 from Jan 2020.”

Bottom Line

An improving economy with a falling unemployment rate will benefit households across the country, as well as the overall housing market.

Content previously posted on Keeping Current Matters

Table of Contents

    • What does this mean for you?
      • Michael Feroli, JPMorgan Chase:
      • Mike Fratantoni, Mortgage Bankers Association:
      • Paul Ashworth, Capital Economics:
      • Jason Schenker, Prestige Economics:
    • What does this mean for residential real estate?
      • Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist, National Association of Realtors:
      • Odeta Kushi, Deputy Chief Economist, First American:
      • Robert Dietz, Chief Economist, National Association of Home Builders:
  • Bottom Line

Posted in: For Buyers, For Sellers, Housing Market Updates, New Construction

Post navigation

« Don’t Sell on Your Own Just Because It’s a Sellers’ Market
Homeownership Is Full of Financial Benefits »
Search for:

Recent Posts

  • Sellers Have an Opportunity with Today’s Home Prices May 24, 2022
  • Sellers Have an Opportunity as Home Prices Re-Accelerate May 24, 2022
  • Work With a Real Estate Professional if You Want the Best Advice May 23, 2022
  • Don’t Let Rising Inflation Delay Your Homeownership Plans [INFOGRAPHIC] May 20, 2022
  • The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a Recession May 19, 2022

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • February 2016
    • 0

    Categories

    • Baby Boomers
    • Buying Myths
    • Demographics
    • Distressed Properties
    • Down Payments
    • First Time Home Buyers
    • For Buyers
    • For Sellers
    • Foreclosures
    • FSBOs
    • Gen Z
    • Generation X
    • Holidays
    • Housing Market Updates
    • Infographics
    • Interest Rates
    • Luxury Market
    • Millennials
    • Move-Up Buyers
    • New Construction
    • Pricing
    • Rent vs. Buy
    • Selling Myths
    • Senior Market
    • Short Sales
    • Time-sensitive
    • Uncategorized

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    Search for:

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org

    Go to mobile version