WASHINGTON – Employers in business services, health care and manufacturing were in a hiring mood in November.
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Professional and business services added 46,000 jobs, driven by temporary-help services and management consulting. The sector has been the strongest performer over the past 12 months, having added more than a half-million jobs.
Health care and manufacturing were also top hirers last month. Manufacturers appear to be benefiting from more resilient global growth, with all major economies across the world expanding in tandem for the first time in a decade.
On the losing end again was the information sector, which includes publishing, media and telecommunications. It has lost 65,000 jobs over the past year.
Overall, employers added a robust 228,000 jobs in November. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1 percent.
| Industry (change from previous month) | November 2017 | October 2017 | Past 12 months |
| Construction | 24,000 | 10,000 | 184,000 |
| Manufacturing | 31,000 | 23,000 | 189,000 |
| Retail | 18,700 | -2,200 | -22,700 |
| Transportation, warehousing | 10,500 | 7,600 | 89,200 |
| Information (Telecom, publishing) | -4,000 | -8,000 | -65,000 |
| Financial services | 8,000 | 7,000 | 150,000 |
| Professional services (Accounting, engineering, temp work) | 46,000 | 54,000 | 548,000 |
| Education and health | 54,000 | 24,000 | 471,000 |
| Hotels, restaurants, entertainment | 14,000 | 104,000 | 279,000 |
| Government | 7,000 | -3,000 | 47,000 |
| Source: Labor Department |
