Few would argue that September's job totals were impressive. But there was at least one positive takeaway from the mostly disappointing figures: Many of the jobs that were created are in higher-paying fields.
Construction payrolls increased by 20,000 last month, the biggest gain for the industry since February. Those firms have added an average of 16,000 jobs a month over the past 12 months.
It was also a good month for transportation and warehousing companies: They added 23,400 jobs, the best for the industry since December.
And governments gained 22,000 jobs, led by a burst of hiring at the state level. That marked the second straight five-figure increase for the public sector. A third month is unlikely. The 16-day partial government shutdown is expected to weigh heavily on October government payrolls.
September was a tough month for leisure and hospitality employees, some of the nation's lowest-paid workers. Hotels and restaurants cut 13,000 jobs last month. And those businesses have added a total of just 5,000 jobs from June through September. Still, hotels and restaurants have created 359,000 jobs over the past year.
Here's a look at the jobs added or lost in each major industry category:
Industry | September | August | Past 12 Months |
Construction | 20,000 | 2,000 | 193,000 |
Manufacturing | 2,000 | 13,000 | 38,000 |
Retail | 20,800 | 31,900 | 367,300 |
Transportation, warehousing | 23,400 | 6,300 | 56,400 |
Information (telecom, publishing) | 4,000 | -17,000 | 17,000 |
Financial services | -2,000 | -3,000 | 94,000 |
Professional services (accounting, temp work) | 32,000 | 30,000 | 641,000 |
Education and health | 14,000 | 61,000 | 348,000 |
Hotels, restaurants, entertainment | -13,000 | 21,000 | 359,000 |
Government | 22,000 | 32,000 | -65,000 |
Source: Labor Department |