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Payroll employment up 74,000 December 2013; averaged 182,000 jobs per month in 2013

January 13, 2014

Total nonfarm payroll employment edged up in December (+74,000). In 2013, job growth averaged 182,000 per month, about the same as in 2012, when job growth averaged 183,000 per month.

Nonfarm payroll employment over-the-month change, seasonally adjusted, December 2011–December 2013
MonthEmployment change

Dec 2011

230,000

Jan 2012

311,000

Feb 2012

271,000

Mar 2012

205,000

Apr 2012

112,000

May 2012

125,000

Jun 2012

87,000

Jul 2012

153,000

Aug 2012

165,000

Sep 2012

138,000

Oct 2012

160,000

Nov 2012

247,000

Dec 2012

219,000

Jan 2013

148,000

Feb 2013

332,000

Mar 2013

142,000

Apr 2013

199,000

May 2013

176,000

Jun 2013

172,000

Jul 2013

89,000

Aug 2013

238,000

Sep 2013

175,000

Oct 2013

200,000

Nov 2013

241,000(p)

Dec 2013

74,000(p)

Footnotes:

(p) preliminary.

Employment in retail trade rose by 55,300 in December. Within the industry, job gains occurred in food and beverage stores (+11,800), clothing and accessories stores (+11,600), general merchandise stores (+7,600), and motor vehicle and parts dealers (+7,300). Retail trade added an average of 32,000 jobs per month in 2013.

In December, wholesale trade added 15,400 jobs. Most of the job growth occurred in electronic markets and agents and brokers (+9,200). Wholesale trade added an average of 8,000 jobs per month in 2013.

Employment in professional and business services continued to trend up in December (+19,000). In 2013, job growth in professional and business services averaged 53,000 per month. Within the industry, temporary help services added 40,400 jobs in December, while employment in accounting and bookkeeping services declined by 24,700.

Manufacturing employment continued to trend up in December (+9,000). Manufacturing added 77,000 jobs in 2013, compared with an increase of 154,000 jobs in 2012.

Over-the-month change in nonfarm payroll employment, selected industries, seasonally adjusted, December 2013
IndustryEmployment change (p)

Total nonfarm

74,000

Retail trade

55,300

Professional and business services

19,000

Wholesale trade

15,400

Manufacturing

9,000

Leisure and hospitality

9,000

Mining and logging

4,000

Financial activities

4,000

Other services

1,000

Education and health services

0

Transportation and warehousing

-600

Information

-12,000

Government

-13,000

Construction

-16,000

Footnotes:

(p) Preliminary.

Employment in information fell by 12,000 in December, driven by a decline in the motion picture and sound recording industry (−13,700). Employment in information was essentially unchanged over the year.

Construction employment edged down in December (−16,000). However, in 2013, the industry added an average of 10,000 jobs per month. Employment in nonresidential specialty trade contractors declined by 12,900 in December, possibly reflecting unusually cold weather in parts of the country.

Employment in other major industries, including transportation and warehousing, financial activities, leisure and hospitality, and government, changed little in December.

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent two months are preliminary. To learn more, see "The Employment Situation — December 2013," (HTML) (PDF) news release USDL‑14‑0002. More charts featuring CES employment data can be found in Current Employment Statistics Highlights: December 2013.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Payroll employment up 74,000 December 2013; averaged 182,000 jobs per month in 2013 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20140113.htm (visited March 28, 2024).

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