Where people found jobs: Business services and governments
Job gains accelerated last month in construction, business services and governments — three bright spots that helped offset weaker hiring in other sectors.
Professional and business services led the way, adding 37,000 jobs. This sector includes such categories as computer systems design, consulting, business management and administrative support.
Governments added 34,000 jobs in August, driven largely by the hiring of temporary workers for the 2020 Census. Excluding all government hiring, businesses added just 96,000 jobs, the fewest since May. Construction rebounded during the month, adding 14,000 positions after having lost 2,000 in July.
Mining lost 5,600 jobs in August and has shed 12,000 jobs since May. Losses also accelerated in retail, driven by general merchandise stores, which include department stores, warehouse clubs and supercenters.
Overall, U.S. employers added a modest 130,000 jobs in August. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.7%, the Labor Department said.
| Industry (change from previous month) | August 2019 | July 2019 | Past 12 months |
| Construction | 14,000 | -2,000 | 177,000 |
| Manufacturing | 3,000 | 4,000 | 138,000 |
| Retail | -11,100 | -5,100 | -83,700 |
| Transportation, warehousing | -500 | -300 | 121,800 |
| Information (Telecom, publishing) | 0 | 0 | 200 |
| Financial services | 15,000 | 20,000 | 111,000 |
| Professional services (Accounting, engineering, temp work) | 37,000 | 36,000 | 449,000 |
| Education and health | 32,000 | 71,000 | 573,000 |
| Hotels, restaurants, entertainment | 12,000 | -3,000 | 317,000 |
| Government | 34,000 | 28,000 | 97,000 |
| Source: Labor Department |