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Economic News Release
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Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release

Transmission of material in this statement is embargoed until 
8:30 a.m. (ET) Friday, November 4, 2022.


                            Statement of

                          William W. Beach
                            Commissioner
                     Bureau of Labor Statistics

                      Friday, November 4, 2022


      Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 261,000 in October, 
and the unemployment rate rose to 3.7 percent. Notable job gains 
occurred in health care, professional and technical services, 
and manufacturing. Monthly job growth has averaged 407,000 thus 
far in 2022, compared with 562,000 per month in 2021. 
      
      Health care added 53,000 jobs in October, with growth in 
ambulatory health care services (+31,000), nursing and 
residential care facilities (+11,000), and hospitals (+11,000). 
So far in 2022, health care employment has increased by an 
average of 47,000 per month, compared with 9,000 per month in 
2021.
      
      In October, professional and technical services added 
43,000 jobs. Employment continued to trend up in management and 
technical consulting services (+7,000), architectural and 
engineering services (+7,000), and scientific research and 
development services (+5,000). Job growth in professional and 
technical services has averaged 41,000 per month thus far in 
2022, compared with 53,000 per month in 2021.
      
      Employment in manufacturing rose by 32,000 in October, with 
most of the gain in durable goods industries (+23,000). 
Employment in manufacturing has increased by an average of 
37,000 per month thus far this year, compared with 30,000 per 
month in 2021.
      
      In October, social assistance added 19,000 jobs, as 
employment in individual and family services continued to trend 
up (+10,000). Social assistance has added 199,000 jobs over the 
past 12 months, and employment in the industry is slightly below 
(-9,000) its pre-pandemic level in February 2020.
      
      Employment in wholesale trade rose by 15,000 in October. 
Employment in the industry has increased by an average of 17,000 
per month thus far in 2022, compared with 13,000 per month in 
2021.
      
      Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up 
in October (+35,000), with accommodation adding 20,000 jobs. 
Employment in food services and drinking places changed little 
over the month (+6,000). Leisure and hospitality has added an 
average of 78,000 jobs per month thus far this year, less than 
half of the average gain of 196,000 jobs per month in 2021. 
Employment in leisure and hospitality is down by 1.1 million, or 
6.5 percent, from its February 2020 level. 
      
      In October, employment changed little in transportation and 
warehousing (+8,000). Job gains in truck transportation 
(+13,000), couriers and messengers (+7,000), and air 
transportation (+4,000) were partially offset by a job loss in 
warehousing and storage (-20,000). Monthly job growth in 
transportation and warehousing has averaged 25,000 so far in 
2022, compared with 36,000 per month in 2021.
      
      In October, employment in financial activities changed 
little (+3,000). Within the industry, job gains in insurance 
carriers and related activities (+9,000) and in securities, 
commodity contracts, and investments (+5,000) more than offset a 
job loss in rental and leasing services (-8,000). Employment in 
financial activities has changed little over the past 6 months.
      
      Employment showed little change over the month in other 
major industries, including mining, construction, retail trade, 
information, other services, and government.
      
      In October, the average workweek for all private-sector 
workers was 34.5 hours for the fifth month in a row. The average 
workweek for manufacturing was little changed at 40.4 hours.
      
      Average hourly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm 
payrolls increased by 12 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $32.58 in 
October. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have 
increased by 4.7 percent.
      
      Turning to the labor market indicators from the household 
survey, the unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage point to 
3.7 percent in October, and the number of unemployed people 
increased by 306,000 to 6.1 million. The unemployment rate has 
been in the narrow range of 3.5 percent to 3.7 percent since 
March.
      
      In October, the unemployment rates for adult women (3.4 
percent) and Whites (3.2 percent) rose. The jobless rates for 
adult men (3.3 percent), teenagers (11.0 percent), Blacks (5.9 
percent), Asians (2.9 percent), and Hispanics (4.2 percent) 
showed little or no change.
      
      Among the unemployed, the number of permanent job losers 
changed little at 1.2 million in October.
      
      By duration of unemployment, the number of people 
unemployed for 27 weeks or more was little changed at 1.2 
million in October. These long-term unemployed accounted for 
19.5 percent of all unemployed people.
      
      The labor force participation rate, at 62.2 percent, and 
the employment-population ratio, at 60.0 percent, were about 
unchanged in October. Both measures have shown little net change 
since early this year and are 1.2 percentage points below their 
values in February 2020.
      
      In October, the number of people working part time for 
economic reasons changed little at 3.7 million.
      
      The number of people not in the labor force who currently 
want a job was little changed at 5.7 million in October. This 
measure remains above its February 2020 level of 5.0 million.
      
      Among those who were not in the labor force but wanted a 
job, the number of people marginally attached to the labor 
force, at 1.5 million, was little changed in October. (People 
who are marginally attached to the labor force had not actively 
looked for work in the 4 weeks prior to the survey but wanted a 
job, were available for work, and had looked for a job within 
the last 12 months.) The number of discouraged workers, a subset 
of the marginally attached who believed that no jobs were 
available for them, fell by 114,000 to 371,000 in October.
      
      In summary, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 261,000 
in October, and the unemployment rate rose to 3.7 percent.




Last Modified Date: November 04, 2022