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Poll: Under Trump, Job Market Optimism at Highest Point Ever Recorded

President Trump / Getty Images
May 21, 2018

The average American is more optimistic about their ability to find a job under the Trump administration than at any point previously recorded, according to a new poll.

Data released by Gallup on Monday showed 67 percent of Americans believe now is a "good time" to find a quality job. The results were buoyed across gender lines, with 71 percent of males and 59 percent of females decidedly optimistic about the job market.

The data stretched across all age, income, and education groups. Americans between the ages of 30 and 49 years old were unmistakably more confident about their job prospects this spring compared to in the months leading up to the 2016 election. The survey found that between August-October of 2016 (47 percent) and March-April 2018 (66 percent), job market optimism grew by 19 percent amongst that age group.

The data is at the highest point ever recorded, since Gallup began asking respondents about job market optimism in August 2001.

The numbers under President Trump stand in stark contrast to his predecessors. Prior to January of 2017, the number of respondents optimistic about the job market never inched above 50 percent. The poll also found that total optimism about the "availability of good jobs" has increased by 25 percentage points since November 2016.

The results come as the country has witnessed an explosion in job growth since Trump took office. In February alone, the U.S. economy added 313,000 new jobs—the strongest showing since July 2016. April marked the 91st consecutive month of job growth, the longest streak of increases on record.

The extensive job growth has contributed to the national unemployment ate—3.9 percent as of May—hitting lows unseen since 2000.