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9 out of 13 industries had net job gains in the fourth quarter of 2018

July 29, 2019

During the fourth quarter of 2018, private-sector establishments had gross job gains of 7.7 million and gross job losses of 6.9 million. That resulted in a net gain of 814,000 jobs. Nine out of 13 industries had net job gains over this period. Service-providing industries added 669,000 jobs, while goods-producing industries added 145,000 jobs.
Net change in jobs by industry, seasonally adjusted, December 2017–December 2018
Industry Dec 2017 Mar 2018 Jun 2018 Sep 2018 Dec 2018

Total private(1)

 979,000 740,000 437,000 27,000 814,000

Natural resources and mining

 -2,000 18,000 28,000 -7,000 -14,000

Construction

 111,000 132,000 51,000 -15,000 69,000

Manufacturing

 93,000 66,000 63,000 10,000 90,000

Wholesale trade

 31,000 20,000 23,000 1,000 34,000

Retail trade

 9,000 71,000 -53,000 -89,000 -70,000

Transportation and warehousing

 159,000 -70,000 32,000 54,000 187,000

Utilities

 0 0 -2,000 -2,000 -1,000

Information

 -1,000 11,000 -9,000 -10,000 -9,000

Financial activities

 19,000 13,000 35,000 -11,000 16,000

Professional and business services

 184,000 69,000 102,000 47,000 145,000

Education and health services

 124,000 141,000 72,000 93,000 134,000

Leisure and hospitality

 170,000 148,000 -13,000 -103,000 171,000

Other services

 20,000 12,000 31,000 -14,000 8,000
Footnotes:

(1) Total includes unclasssified sector.

Within service-providing industries, transportation and warehousing had the largest net job increase, with a gain of 187,000 jobs for the quarter ended December 2018. The retail trade industry had the largest decrease among service-providing industries, with a loss of 70,000 jobs.

The goods-producing industries experienced a net job increase of 145,000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2018. Among goods-producing industries, manufacturing added 90,000 jobs, construction had a net increase of 69,000 jobs, and natural resources and mining lost 14,000 jobs.

These data are from the Business Employment Dynamics program. Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. For more information, see "Business Employment Dynamics — Fourth Quarter 2018." Also see charts related to the latest "Business Employment Dynamics" news release.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 9 out of 13 industries had net job gains in the fourth quarter of 2018 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/9-out-of-13-industries-had-net-job-gains-in-the-fourth-quarter-of-2018.htm (visited September 18, 2024).

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