According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics September Employment Situation Summary, 248,000 jobs were added to the economy, the unemployment rate dropped .2 percentage points to 5.9%, and the number of unemployed persons decreased by 329,000. Compared to a year ago, the unemployment rate is down by 1.3%. Job growth in the US marks a 12-month average monthly gain of 213,000.

The professional and business services sector continues to add the most jobs to the economy. This sector experienced average monthly gains of 56,000 per month over the prior 12 months. During September, gains in this sector specifically occurred in employment, management and technical consulting, and architectural and engineering services. Retail trade added 35,000 jobs to the economy in September, with food and beverage stores contributing the most growth. Employment in healthcare maintained its 12-month average and grew by 23,000 jobs. The information sector saw gains, up by 12,000 jobs. Mining grew by 9,000, with the majority of jobs being added in support activities. Construction, finance, and leisure and hospitality continued to trend upward. Employment in manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, and government saw little changes.

Employment numbers for July and August were revised higher than originally reported, up +69,000 jobs combined. July was changed from +212,000 to +243,000. August numbers were changed from +142,000 to +180,000.

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Ashley Zito Rowe writes for the WANTED Analytics blog, Analysis, and her wine blog, NJ Wine with Me. Ashley’s articles and insight have been featured on or cited by Forbes, HR.com, ERE, American Staffing Association, Philly.com, GetOutsideNJ, and Hometown Quarterly. She is also a Marketing Manager for WANTED Analytics, focusing on customer and social media engagement. When Ashley isn’t researching hiring trends or drinking NJ wines, she’s likely to be adventuring somewhere in NJ, painting something, or watching Disney movies.