Total nonfarm payroll employment increased (+119,000) and has shown little change since April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. The unemployment rate, at 4.4%, edged up from August’s rate of 4.3%. Employment continued to trend up in health care and in social assistance. Federal government continued to lose jobs.
In September, health care added 43,000 jobs, about the same as the average monthly gain of 42,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, employment gains occurred in ambulatory health care services (+23,000) and hospitals (+16,000).
In September, social assistance employment continued to trend up (+14,000), reflecting continued job growth in individual and family services (+20,000).
Federal government employment continued to decline in September (-3,000) and is down by 97,000 since reaching a peak in January. (Employees on paid leave or receiving ongoing severance pay are counted as employed in the establishment survey.)
Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by nine cents, or 0.2 percent, to $36.67 in September. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.8 percent. In September, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by eight cents, or 0.3 percent, to $31.53.
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for July was revised down by 7,000, from +79,000 to +72,000, and the change for August was revised down by 26,000, from +22,000 to -4,000. With these revisions, employment in July and August combined is 33,000 lower than previously reported.
Read the BLS release.
