Nonfarm employment rose by 266,000 in November 2019

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 266,000 in November 2019. Job growth averaged 180,000 per month thus far in 2019, compared with an average monthly gain of 223,000 in 2018. In November, within education and health services, health care added 45,000. Employment also increased in manufacturing (+54,000), reflecting the return of workers from a strike.

Within professional and business services, employment in professional and technical services increased by 31,000 in November and by 278,000 over the last 12 months. From November 2018 to November 2019, employment in professional and business services increased by 417,000. 

In November 2019, employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up (+45,000). The industry added 219,000 jobs over the last 4 months and 420,000 over the year.

Employment in transportation and warehousing continued on an upward trend in November 2019 (+16,000). Within the industry, job gains occurred in warehousing and storage (+8,000) and in couriers and messengers (+5,000). Over the year, employment in transportation and warehousing increased by 73,300.

Employment showed little change in November in other major industries, including construction, wholesale trade, information, and government. 

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 — November 2019." We also have more charts on nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings.