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Nonfarm employment edged up 75,000 in May 2019

June 11, 2019

Total nonfarm payroll employment edged up by 75,000 in May 2019. Monthly job gains have averaged 164,000 in 2019, compared with an average gain of 223,000 per month in 2018. In May, employment continued to trend up in professional and business services and in health care.

Monthly change in nonfarm payroll employment, seasonally adjusted, January 2014 to May 2019
Month 1-month change Average monthly change for the year

Jan 2014

177,000 251,000

Feb 2014

168,000 251,000

Mar 2014

250,000 251,000

Apr 2014

327,000 251,000

May 2014

221,000 251,000

Jun 2014

324,000 251,000

Jul 2014

227,000 251,000

Aug 2014

188,000 251,000

Sep 2014

311,000 251,000

Oct 2014

258,000 251,000

Nov 2014

286,000 251,000

Dec 2014

269,000 251,000

Jan 2015

213,000 227,000

Feb 2015

248,000 227,000

Mar 2015

77,000 227,000

Apr 2015

300,000 227,000

May 2015

319,000 227,000

Jun 2015

170,000 227,000

Jul 2015

293,000 227,000

Aug 2015

122,000 227,000

Sep 2015

133,000 227,000

Oct 2015

339,000 227,000

Nov 2015

235,000 227,000

Dec 2015

280,000 227,000

Jan 2016

90,000 193,000

Feb 2016

232,000 193,000

Mar 2016

234,000 193,000

Apr 2016

211,000 193,000

May 2016

15,000 193,000

Jun 2016

282,000 193,000

Jul 2016

336,000 193,000

Aug 2016

135,000 193,000

Sep 2016

270,000 193,000

Oct 2016

128,000 193,000

Nov 2016

170,000 193,000

Dec 2016

215,000 193,000

Jan 2017

252,000 179,000

Feb 2017

141,000 179,000

Mar 2017

127,000 179,000

Apr 2017

213,000 179,000

May 2017

128,000 179,000

Jun 2017

229,000 179,000

Jul 2017

204,000 179,000

Aug 2017

187,000 179,000

Sep 2017

18,000 179,000

Oct 2017

260,000 179,000

Nov 2017

220,000 179,000

Dec 2017

174,000 179,000

Jan 2018

171,000 223,000

Feb 2018

330,000 223,000

Mar 2018

182,000 223,000

Apr 2018

196,000 223,000

May 2018

270,000 223,000

Jun 2018

262,000 223,000

Jul 2018

178,000 223,000

Aug 2018

282,000 223,000

Sep 2018

108,000 223,000

Oct 2018

277,000 223,000

Nov 2018

196,000 223,000

Dec 2018

227,000 223,000

Jan 2019

312,000 164,000

Feb 2019

56,000 164,000

Mar 2019

153,000 164,000

Apr 2019(p)

224,000 164,000

May 2019(p)

75,000 164,000
Footnotes:

(p) Preliminary

Employment in professional and business services continued to trend up over the month (+33,000) and has increased by 498,000 over the past 12 months. 

Employment change by industry, May 2019, seasonally adjusted
Industry 1-month net change 12-month net change

Mining and logging

1,000 29,000

Construction

4,000 215,000

Manufacturing

3,000 184,000

Wholesale trade

7,100 112,400

Retail trade

-7,600 -75,700

Transportation and warehousing

-200 147,600

Utilities

400 -3,400

Information

-5,000 -34,000

Financial activities

2,000 96,000

Professional and business services

33,000 498,000

Education and health services

27,000 590,000

Leisure and hospitality

26,000 421,000

Other services

-1,000 83,000

Government

-15,000 87,000

Employment in health care continued its upward trend in May (+16,000). The industry has added 391,000 jobs over the past 12 months. 

Construction employment changed little in May (+4,000), following an increase of 30,000 in April. The industry has added 215,000 jobs over the past 12 months. 

Employment showed little change in May in other major industries, including mining, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information, financial activities, leisure and hospitality, and government. 

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics program. Data for the most recent 2 months are preliminary. To learn more, see "The Employment Situation — May 2019." We also have more charts on nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Nonfarm employment edged up 75,000 in May 2019 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/nonfarm-employment-edged-up-75000-in-may-2019.htm (visited April 26, 2024).

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