The Employment Picture Today
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 161,000 in October, and the unemployment rate
was little changed at 4.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
Employment continued to trend up in health care, professional and business services,
and financial activities. The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for August was revised up from +167,000 to +176,000, and the change for September was revised up from+156,000 to +191,000. With these revisions, employment gains in August and September combined were 44,000 more than previously reported. Over the past 3 months, job gains have averaged 176,000 per month. This is good news.
