WASHINGTON (AP) — Health care and business services led U.S. job gains in November, a month that saw slower hiring overall.
Health care firms gained more than 40,000 jobs, as hospitals, physicians’ offices and home health care providers added staff. Professional services, which include architects and consultants and administrative support, added 32,000.
Manufacturing companies hired 27,000 new workers, the most in seven months, signaling that trade tensions have yet to weaken factory hiring.
Overall, U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs in November. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.7%, the Labor Department said Friday.
Industry (change from previous month) November 2018 October 2018 Past 12 months
Construction 5,000 24,000 282,000
Manufacturing 27,000 26,000 288,000
Retail 18,200 -7,100 23,700
Transportation, warehousing 25,400 15,700 191,800
Information (Telecom, publishing) -8,000 8,000 -21,000
Financial services 6,000 12,000 119,000
Professional services (Accounting, engineering, temp work) 32,000 58,000 561,000
Education and health 34,000 39,000 473,000
Hotels, restaurants, entertainment 15,000 56,000 268,000
Government -6,000 -14,000 48,000
Source: Labor Department
