150,000 +
Total Jobs Added*
3.9 %
Unemployment Rate
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 150,000 in October, and the unemployment rate changed little at 3.9 percent. Job gains occurred in health care, government, and social assistance. Employment declined in manufacturing due to strike activity.
In October, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed at 1.3 million. The long-term unemployed accounted for 19.8 percent of all unemployed people. Among the unemployed, the number of permanent job losers increased by 164,000 over the month to 1.6 million. The number of persons on temporary layoff changed little at 873,000.
USA Industry-Specific Updates – October 2023
(-) Means Jobs Decreased MoM
Professional & Business
Services +15,000
- Temporary help services +7,000
Leisure & Hospitality
+19,000
- Average jobs added per month in the last 12 months +52,000
Healthcare
+58,000
- Ambulatory health care +32,000
- Hospitals +18,000
- Nursing and residential care +8,000
Construction
+23,000
- Specialty trade contractors +14,000
- Building construction +6,000
Government
+51,000
- Local government +38,000
Other Sectors
- Social assistance +19,000
- Information -9,000
- Motion pictures and sound recording -5,000
In October, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 7 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $34.00. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4.1 percent. In October, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 10 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $29.19.
Source: The US Bureau of Labor Statistics
