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

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.

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.

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.