October 05, 2012
October 5, 2012
Restaurants added 15,700 jobs in September, roughly their average over the last year. The retail sector added 9,400 in the month, while real estate added 7,100, another sign of renewed health in the housing market. On the negative side, temporary help employment fell 2,000 after being flat in August. Manufacturing employment fell by 16,000 in September after dropping by 22,000 the prior month. Autos were the largest contributor to the decline, but it was felt across sectors. However, it is worth noting that average weekly hours in manufacturing rose by 0.1 hours, as it did for the private sector as a whole.
The unemployment rate for workers in the two hardest hit sectors, construction and manufacturing, was 11.9 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively in September, meaning that the former contributed a trivial amount toward raising the overall unemployment rate, while the latter lowered it slightly.
For more, check out our latest Jobs Byte.
