— This is the script of CNBC's news report for China's CCTV on May 13, Wednesday.
Welcome to CNBC Business Daily, I'm Qian Chen.
Job growth last month shifted to higher-paying positions in a sign of a broadening labor market recovery.
Professional and business services, construction and health care led the solid 223,000 job gains reported by the Labor Department on Friday. Retail and leisure and hospitality lagged. Both have been engines of payroll gains through most of the U.S. employment upswing since 2010.
"We're seeing more quality jobs," says Diane Swonk, chief economist of Mesirow Financial. The trend, she says, partly reflects a widening recovery that includes a pickup in full-time positions.
Professional and business services added 62,000 jobs in April, with strong advances in computer systems design, management and technical consulting, and architectural and engineering services.
In addition to more better-paid jobs, small business' sentiment is coming back too.
Confidence among small-business owners increased in April after a March drop, according to a report released Tuesday. Hiring activity also picked up, although many owners said they could not find qualified workers.
Small firms continue to face a shortage of certain skilled workers. The subindex covering jobs that are hard to fill increased to 27% in April from 24%. So far in 2015, the rate has averaged 26.5%, above the 23.7% average of 2014. Of those looking for workers, 83% said they were seeing few or no applicants who were qualified for the open positions.
The most positive news came from the labor front. The NFIB said in the three months ended in April, small businesses hired, on average, 0.14 workers per firm, "continuing a string of solid readings for 2015″ the trade group said. Despite the addition of so many new workers already, hiring plans remain upbeat. The subindex covering plans to create new jobs increased 1 percentage point to 11% in April.
Swonk says large numbers of low-paying, part-time jobs in the restaurant and retail sectors are still needed, especially to provide entry-level work experiences for teens.
CNBC's Qian Chen, reporting from Singapore.
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HAMPTON PEARSON
LEGISLATION THAT WOULD GIVE PRESIDENT OBAMA THE AUTHORITY TO SPEED TRADE DEALS THRU CONGRESS ----FAILED A CRUCIAL PROCEDURAL TEST IN THE U-S SENATE ON TUESDAY.
THE SENATE CAME UP 8 VOTES SHORT OF THE 60 VOTES NEEDED TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR DEBATE ON FAST TRACK AUTHORITY TO MOVE THE 12 NATION TRANS PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP THRU CONGRESS.
WHILE THIS WAS JUST A PROCEDURAL TEST VOTE --- THE PROBLEM FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA IS THAT SOME DEMOCRATS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT PROTECTING
AMERICAN JOBS AND SOME OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROVISIONS IN THE TRADE BILL...AND ARE OPPOSED TO "FAST TRACK" AUTHORITY FOR ANY PRESIDENT.
THE T-P-P IS A POTENTIAL LEGACY DEFINING MEASURE FOR THE PRESIDENT ---PART OF HIS PIVOT TO ASIA.
IT'S DESIGNED TO CREATE A FREE TRADE ZONE COVERING 40 PERCENT OF THE WORLD ECONOMY. IT'S BIGGEST TRADE DEAL SINCE THE NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT ---NAFTA BACK IN THE 90'S. ---THAT LIBERALIZED TRADE BETWEEN THE U-S; CANADA AND MEXICO.
however, ORGANIZED LABOR STILL BLAMES THAT DEAL FOR FACTORY CLOSINGS AND LOST JOBS here in the US ---AND IT HAS generally SOURED SENTIMENT TOWARD THE T-P-P.
THE ACTUAL NEGOTIATIONS ON THE TPP ARE NEARLY COMPLETE ----BUT THE TRADING PARTNERS ---ESPECIALLY THOSE IN ASIA --- WANT TO SEE THAT FAST TRACK LEGISLATION GET THRU CONGRESS BEFORE FINALIZING THE DEAL...CREATING A TRADE ZONE THAT WOULD STRETCH FROM JAPAN TO CHILE.
Meanwhile here back in the US, specifically the US congress, SENATE MAJORITY LEADER, the Republican, IS CONSIDERING OTHER TACTICS TO GET TO ANOTHER VOTE TO MOVE THE TREATY process ALONG.
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