Despite random concerns about a U.S. economy that may be nearing the end of its growth period, U.S. employers are adding jobs at a strong pace, adding 196,000 new jobs in March 2019.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the United States Department of Labor, March growth was above the average of 180,000 new jobs per month for the first quarter of this year, but significantly below the 223,000 new jobs that U.S. employers added in March 2018.
49,000, or about 25% of all new jobs, found a home in the healthcare industry. Healthcare’s total over the past 12 months stands at 398,000 new jobs, outpacing every other industry for job growth. The most active employers within healthcare were ambulatory health care services (27,000 new jobs), hospitals (14,000), and nursing and residential care facilities (9,000.)
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Following healthcare, professional and technical services added 34,000 new jobs primarily in systems design, architectural and engineering services, as well as management and technical consulting services. Food services added 27,000 new jobs, while construction added 16,000, while manufacturing lost 6,000. Every other industry did not show significant change.
The average hourly compensation is also showing continued growth. Non-farm workers saw an increase of 4 cents per hour to $27.70, on average.
The unemployment rate in the U.S. job market was unchanged at 3.8%, affecting about 6.2 million individuals, according to the BLS.
Update 6/10/2019: The Bureau of Labor Statistics revised its estimate of added jobs to 153,000 new positions for the month of March.