The leisure and hospitality, manufacturing and business services industries led job gains for the month of July, besting laggards like government and utilities, according to the latest government jobs report.
CNBC analyzed the net changes by industry for July based on the data from the Labor Department, which found that the U.S. economy created 157,000 jobs last month, less than the 190,000 estimated increase from economists surveyed by Reuters.
The professional and business services sector was the biggest net job gainer for the month, with an increase of 51,000 positions. Of those gains, more than half came from hiring in administrative and support services.
Leisure and hospitality also posted a strong month, adding to the sector’s solid gains in May and June with 40,000 more jobs. This industry includes jobs such as performing arts, spectator sports, museums, and food services.
“Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 157,000 in July, compared with an average monthly gain of 203,000 over the prior 12 months,” the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. “In July, job gains occurred in professional and business services, in manufacturing, and in health care and social assistance.”
Changes in retail employment, which tends to be more volatile than the other sectors, included a gain of 7,100 jobs in July after a loss of more than 21,000 jobs in June, the bureau said.
The manufacturing industry added 37,000 jobs last month, nearly matching June’s 36,000 print. Jobs gains in durable goods accounted for nearly all of the increase with hiring in transportation equipment (13,100 jobs), machinery (5,800 jobs) and fabricated metal products (5,100 jobs). Manufacturing employment has added 327,000 jobs over the year, according to the Labor Department.
