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errata

As initially published, negative signs were missing from some over-the-month employment change numbers in the data table. The article was republished with a corrected data table.

Payroll employment up 151,000 in August 2016

September 06, 2016

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 151,000 in August 2016, compared with an average monthly gain of 204,000 over the prior 12 months. The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for June was revised to 271,000, and the change for July was revised to 275,000. With these revisions, job gains averaged 232,000 per month over the past 3 months.
1-month change in employment by industry, January 2015–August 2016, seasonally adjusted
Industry Jan 2015 Feb 2015 Mar 2015 Apr 2015 May 2015 Jun 2015 Jul 2015 Aug 2015 Sep 2015 Oct 2015 Nov 2015 Dec 2015

Total Nonfarm

 221,000 265,000 84,000 251,000 273,000 228,000 277,000 150,000 149,000 295,000 280,000 271,000

Mining and logging

 -7,000 -15,000 -16,000 -15,000 -20,000 -4,000 -8,000 -9,000 -13,000 -4,000 -15,000 -10,000

Construction

 50,000 27,000 -7,000 38,000 17,000 0 11,000 4,000 10,000 33,000 65,000 48,000

Manufacturing

 17,000 4,000 3,000 -2,000 8,000 1,000 11,000 -18,000 -9,000 2,000 3,000 6,000

Trade, transportation, and utilities

 42,000 52,000 38,000 27,000 46,000 48,000 54,000 15,000 9,000 24,000 76,000 27,000

Information

 1,000 4,000 -3,000 10,000 2,000 4,000 5,000 -3,000 13,000 5,000 -18,000 10,000

Financial activities

 20,000 9,000 12,000 7,000 9,000 19,000 20,000 13,000 3,000 11,000 18,000 8,000

Professional and business services

 10,000 39,000 27,000 69,000 80,000 76,000 46,000 35,000 40,000 91,000 48,000 60,000

Education and health services

 54,000 59,000 38,000 77,000 57,000 55,000 58,000 62,000 55,000 78,000 45,000 63,000

Leisure and hospitality

 23,000 65,000 0 21,000 49,000 30,000 36,000 33,000 50,000 53,000 46,000 35,000

Other services

 4,000 8,000 -2,000 9,000 8,000 -3,000 12,000 -9,000 4,000 11,000 11,000 12,000

Federal government

 -3,000 4,000 0 3,000 2,000 0 -1,000 2,000 1,000 -2,000 6,000 10,000

State government

 4,000 4,000 -2,000 2,000 0 3,000 -1,000 8,000 7,000 1,000 -4,000 -2,000

Local government

 6,000 5,000 -4,000 5,000 15,000 -1,000 34,000 17,000 -21,000 -8,000 -1,000 4,000

 

1-month change in employment by industry, January 2015–August 2016, seasonally adjusted (continued)
Industry Jan 2016 Feb 2016 Mar 2016 Apr 2016 May 2016 Jun 2016 Jul 2016 (p) Aug 2016 (p)

Total Nonfarm

 168,000 233,000 186,000 144,000 24,000 271,000 275,000 151,000

Mining and logging

 -12,000 -17,000 -15,000 -11,000 -10,000 -7,000 -6,000 -4,000

Construction

 18,000 13,000 37,000 -6,000 -18,000 -6,000 11,000 -6,000

Manufacturing

 18,000 -16,000 -29,000 5,000 -17,000 8,000 6,000 -14,000

Trade, transportation, and utilities

 59,000 56,000 51,000 16,000 -4,000 19,000 28,000 34,000

Information

 0 11,000 8,000 0 -41,000 41,000 -4,000 4,000

Financial activities

 17,000 8,000 14,000 21,000 16,000 17,000 19,000 15,000

Professional and business services

 -2,000 35,000 31,000 57,000 32,000 48,000 80,000 22,000

Education and health services

 26,000 77,000 46,000 47,000 46,000 52,000 44,000 39,000

Leisure and hospitality

 34,000 37,000 18,000 15,000 3,000 53,000 45,000 29,000

Other services

 -3,000 18,000 6,000 3,000 -8,000 13,000 2,000 7,000

Federal government

 -5,000 2,000 6,000 -4,000 16,000 4,000 2,000 1,000

State government

 -1,000 1,000 3,000 -2,000 -5,000 11,000 5,000 0

Local government

 19,000 8,000 10,000 3,000 14,000 18,000 43,000 24,000
Footnotes:

(p) preliminary.

In August, employment continued to trend up in several service providing industries.

Employment increased 39,000 in education and health services. Within this industry, health care employment continued to trend up (14,000), but at a slower pace than the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months. Hospitals employment also increased (11,000). Social assistance employment increased over the month (22,000), with most of the growth in individual and family services (17,000).

Employment in wholesale trade, retail trade, and transportation and warehousing changed little in August.

Employment in food services and drinking places continued to trend up over the month (34,000). Over the year, the industry has added 312,000 jobs.

In August, employment in professional and business services changed little (22,000).  Within the sector, employment continued to trend up in professional and technical services and was essentially unchanged in administrative and waste services.

Financial activities employment continued on an upward trend in August (15,000), with a gain in securities, commodity contracts, and investments (+6,000). Over the year, financial activities added 167,000 jobs.

Employment in mining continued to trend down in August (-4,000). Since reaching a peak in September 2014, employment in mining has declined by 223,000, with losses concentrated in support activities for mining.

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics program. Data are preliminary. To learn more, see "The Employment Situation — August 2016" (HTML) (PDF). Charts and analysis of nonfarm employment data can be found in Current Employment Statistics Highlights: August 2016; for additional charts, see Graphics for Economic News Releases: The Employment Situation.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Payroll employment up 151,000 in August 2016 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/payroll-employment-up-151000-in-august-2016.htm (visited April 25, 2024).

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