Payroll employment up by 215,000 in March 2016

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 215,000 in March and by 2.8 million over the year. Over the month, job growth occurred in retail trade, construction, and health care. Job losses occurred in manufacturing and mining.

Retail trade added 48,000 jobs in March. Employment increased in general merchandise stores (+12,000), health and personal care stores (+10,000), building material and garden supply stores (+10,000), and automobile dealers (+5,000). Over the past 12 months, retail trade added 378,000 jobs.

In March, construction employment rose by 37,000. Job gains occurred among residential specialty trade contractors (+12,000) and in heavy and civil engineering construction (+11,000). Over the year, construction added 301,000 jobs.

In March, employment in education and health services rose by 51,000 over the month and by 711,000 over the year. Within education and health services, employment in health care increased by 37,000 in March. Employment rose in ambulatory health care services (+27,000) and hospitals (+10,000). Over the year, health care employment increased by 503,000.

Employment in manufacturing declined by 29,000 in March. Most of the job losses occurred in durable goods industries (−24,000), including machinery (−7,000), primary metals (−3,000), and semiconductors and electronic components (−3,000). From March 2015 to March 2016, manufacturing lost 27,000 jobs.

Mining employment continued to decline in March (−12,000), with losses concentrated in support activities for mining (−10,000). Over the year, mining and logging shed 139,000 jobs. 

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 — March 2016" (HTML) (PDF). Charts and analysis of nonfarm employment data can be found in Current Employment Statistics Highlights: March 2016; for additional charts, see Graphics for Economic News Releases: The Employment Situation.