Gallup Job Creation Index Maintains Record High

Gallup's U.S. Job Creation Index maintained its record high of plus 32 in July for the third month in a row. This score is based on 43 percent of workers saying their employer is hiring workers and expanding the size of its workforce. It also includes 11 percent who say their employer is letting workers go and reducing the size of its workforce. Both of these are the same as in June.

After hitting a record low of minus 5 in early 2009, it remained negative or close to zero for the rest of that year. Gradually, the index improved, eventually reaching a high of plus 30 in September 2014. After hovering between plus 27 and plus 29 from October 2014 to March 2015, the index climbed two points in April and another point in May to reach the high that it has sustained over the last two months.

Net hiring in the private sector ticked up a point from the previous month -- from plus 32 in June to plus 33 in July, based on 43 percent of private-sector workers saying their employer is hiring and 10 percent saying their employer is letting workers go. Meanwhile, government hiring came down a few points. In both May and June, government workers reported net hiring of plus 25, but last month this dipped to plus 22, as 39 percent of government workers reported a net gain and 17 percent a net loss of jobs at their place of employment. Nongovernment workers make up the large majority of U.S. employees, so the smaller increase in net hiring among private-sector employees last month offset the larger decrease among government employees.