April 2017

Release Date: May 5, 2017

Prepared by Analysts of the National Estimates Branch

Current Employment Statistics Survey

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

202-691-6555

Email CES

Contents

Summary

Mining & Logging

Construction

Manufacturing

Wholesale Trade

Retail Trade

Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities

Information

Financial Activities

Professional & Business Services

Private Education & Health Services

Leisure & Hospitality

Other Services

Government

Current Employment Statistics Highlights

Detailed Industry Employment Analysis

Current Employment Statistics

Highlights
Current Employment Statistics Summary, April 2017

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017

jobs per month in 2016. Within social 

assistance, employment in individual and 

family services expanded by 17,000 in April.

+39,000 Professional and Business Services

 In April, employment continued to trend 

upward in professional and business services. 

Over the past 12 months, the industry has 

added 612,000 jobs.

 Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 

211,000 in April. Leisure and hospitality, health 

care and social assistance, financial activities, 

and mining added jobs.

 The employment change for March revised 

down from +98,000 to +79,000, and the 

change for February revised up from +219,000 

to +232,000. Incorporating revisions, job 

growth has averaged 174,000 per month over 

the past 3 months.

 Average hourly earnings for all employees 

on private, nonfarm payrolls rose by 7 cents in 

April and are up 2.5 percent over the year. 

Average weekly hours increased 0.1 hour to 

34.4 hours over the month.

+55,000 Leisure and Hospitality

 Leisure and hospitality added 55,000 jobs in 

April. Employment in food services and 

drinking places continued to trend up over the 

month (+26,000) and has increased by 260,000 

over the year. 

+41,000 Education and Health Services

 In April, employment in health care 

continued to trend up (+20,000), in line with 

the average change during the first quarter. 

This industry had added an average 32,000 190 151 272 329 246 304 202 230 280 227 312 255 234238 86 262 344 206 254 157 100 321 272 239 126 237 225 153 43 297 291 176 249 124 164 155 216232 79 211

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15 Jan-16 Jul-16 Jan-17

Employment in total nonfarm

Over-the-month change, January 2014–April 2017

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017.

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government
CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017

+19,000 Financial Activities

 Within financial activities, insurance carriers 

and related activities added 14,000 jobs in 

April. Over the year, insurance employment 

has grown by 56,000.

+10,000 Mining and Logging

 Mining employment increased by 9,000 in 

April, due primarily to a gain of 7,000 in 

support activities for mining. Since a recent 

employment low in October 2016, mining has 

added 44,000 jobs, with 33,000 of those 

coming in support activities. 

-7,000 Information

 Information employment continued to edge 

down (-7,000) in April, due to declines in 

broadcasting, except Internet (-3,000) and in 

telecommunications (-5,000), which partly 

reflects a small strike. Employment in 

information has declined by 45,000 over the 

past 6 months. 

17

7

55

41

39

19

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1

4

6

8

6

5

10

-40 -20 0 20 40 60 80

Government

Other services

Leisure and hospitality*

Education and health services*

Professional and business services

Financial activities*

Information

Utilities

Transportation and warehousing

Retail trade

Wholesale trade

Manufacturing

Construction

Mining and logging*

Employment in total nonfarm

April 2017 Prior 12-month average

Over-the-month change, April 2017

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Total nonfarm:

211*

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017.

Data are preliminary.

* denotes significance

Current Employment Statistics Survey Summary, April 2017

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government
 Mining added 9,000 jobs in April. 

Since a recent low in October, the 

industry has gained 44,000 jobs. Support 

activities for mining added 7,000 jobs in 

April. 

 The recent job growth is consistent 

with trends in related economic 

indicators. Over the month, domestic 

oil-rig counts increased by 9 percent, 

and the price of West Texas 

Intermediate oil rose 11 percent. 

5

5

5

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6

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-5

-1

-3

-9

-12

-15

-16

-22

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-11

-13

-16

-9

-15

-11

-15

-20

-17

-9

-8

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-4

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-1

-2

7

2

6 1111

9

-30

-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15 Jan-16 Jul-16 Jan-17

Employment in mining

Over-the-month change, January 2014–April 2017

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Mining and Logging 

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017
 Construction employment changed 

little for a second consecutive month in 

April (+5,000), following growth in 

January and February. Year to date, 

construction employment has risen by 

an average 24,000 per month, similar to 

the average gain over the prior 4-month 

period (+20,000). 56 21 3739 26 20 42 30 27 20 18 23 44 26

-11 44 37 14 21 15

8 44 55 39 11 23 43

-1

-14

0 18

-4 23 16 28 12 34 54

1

5

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15 Jan-16 Jul-16 Jan-17

Employment in construction

Over-the-month change, January 2014–April 2017

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Construction

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017
 Employment in manufacturing 

continued to edge up in April (+6,000).

 Nondurable goods employment 

continued to trend up in April (+9,000), 

driven by growth in food manufacturing 

(+9,000). Nearly three quarters of the 

employment gains in nondurable goods 

over the past 3 months occurred in food 

manufacturing. Employment in durable 

goods remained flat in April (-3,000).

 Consistent with the recent 

employment trend in manufacturing, in 

April, the Purchasing Managers’ Index

decreased from 57.2 to 54.8, indicating 

that the manufacturing sector is

expanding at a slower pace than in 

March. 

 

Manufacturing

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017
 Employment in wholesale trade 

continued to trend up in April (+8,000), 

bringing the industry’s 12-month net job 

gain to 54,000. 10

6

4 16

4 12

5

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-1

9

4 11

2

9

1

-4

4

-2

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-2

-12

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3 13

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8

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-15

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5

10

15

20

25

Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15 Jan-16 Jul-16 Jan-17

Employment in wholesale trade

Over-the-month change, January 2014–April 2017

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Wholesale Trade

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade:

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017
 In April, employment in retail trade changed little (+6,000) following 

losses in February and March. 

 Employment in general merchandise stores edged up by 8,000 in 

April. Within this industry, other general merchandise stores, such as 

supercenters and warehouse clubs, added 8,000 jobs while 

employment in department stores was flat.

Retail Trade

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade:

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government
 Employment in transportation and 

warehousing was flat in April (+4,000). 

This continues a trend of industry-wide 

deceleration. In 2014, job gains averaged 

18,000 per month, compared to an 

average 7,000 jobs added over the latest

12 months. 

3,800

4,000

4,200

4,400

4,600

4,800

5,000

5,200

5,400

Jan-07 Jan-09 Jan-11 Jan-13 Jan-15 Jan-17

Employment in transportation and warehousing

April 2017 Level: 5,053

OTM Change: 4

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017.

Shaded area represents recession as denoted by the National Bureau of Economic Research. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

* denotes significance

January 2007–April 2017

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Transportation and Warehousing

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017
 In April, employment in utilities edged 

up by 1,000, partly offsetting a modest 

decrease in the first quarter.

542

544

546

548

550

552

554

556

558

560

562

564

566

568

Jan-07 Jan-09 Jan-11 Jan-13 Jan-15 Jan-17

Employment in utilities

April 2017 Level: 556

OTM Change: 1

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017.

Shaded area represents recession as denoted by the National Bureau of Economic Research. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

* denotes significance

January 2007–April 2017

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Utilities

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017
 Employment in information continued 

to trend down in April (-7,000). This 

marks the seventh consecutive month of 

weakness, with information losing a total 

of 51,000 jobs since the recent peak in 

September 2016. A small strike

contributed to a decline of 5,000 in

telecommunications. 

2,500

2,600

2,700

2,800

2,900

3,000

3,100

3,200

Jan-07 Jan-09 Jan-11 Jan-13 Jan-15 Jan-17

Employment in information

April 2017 Level: 2,735

OTM Change: -7 

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017.

Shaded area represents recession as denoted by the National Bureau of Economic Research. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

* denotes significance

January 2007–April 2017

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Information

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017
 Financial activities added 19,000 jobs in April. So far this year, employment 

growth in the industry has remained in line with its 2016 average increase of 

15,000 per month.

 In April, widespread strength within insurance carriers and related activities 

(+14,000) contributed to the job growth in financial activities. 

 

3

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1

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1

-5 0 5 10 15 20

Real estate and rental and leasing

Insurance carriers and related activities*

Securities and commodities

 - Commercial banking

Credit intermediation°

Employment in selected financial activities

April 2017 Prior 12-month average

Over-the-month change, April 2017

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Financial 

activities:

19*

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017.

Data are preliminary.

 ̊Includes additional component industries not shown separately.

* denotes significance

Financial Activities

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government
 Employment in professional and 

business services continued to trend up 

in April (+39,000). Both professional and 

technical services and management of 

companies and enterprises continued 

their recent employment trends. 

Employment in professional and 

technical services edged up by 23,000, 

while management of companies and 

enterprises changed little.

 Administrative and waste services 

employment came in below its prior 3-, 

6-, and 12-month average changes in 

April (+15,000). Services to building and 

dwellings added 10,000 jobs within the 

industry. Volatility in administrative and 

waste services employment has been 

the primary cause of recent fluctuations 

in all of professional and business 

services.

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1

23

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Administrative and waste

services

Management of companies

and enterprises

Professional and technical

services

Employment in Professional and business services component industries

Over-the-month change Prior-3 mo. Avg. Prior-6 mo. Avg Prior-12 mo. Avg

Over-the-month change and prior averages, April 2017

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017

Data are preliminary.

Professional and Business Services

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017
 Private education and health services 

added 41,000 jobs in April. So far this 

year, job growth in education and health 

services has averaged roughly 34,000 

per month, below the average monthly 

change for 2016 (+46,000). 

 Within social assistance, individual 

and family services, added 17,000 jobs in 

April, well above its prior 12-month 

average (+6,000). 32 21 39 26 58 39 44 50 3840 47 46 65 50 35 77 49 46 5153 40 83 43 52 16 74 35 52 49 59 41 53 48 45 31 50 17 68 10 41

-20

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20

40

60

80

100

Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15 Jan-16 Jul-16 Jan-17

Employment in education and health services

Over-the-month change, January 2014–April 2017

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Private Education and Health Services

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017
 Leisure and hospitality employment rose 

by 55,000 in April; the strength was 

widespread among the component industries. 

Food services and drinking places 

employment continued to trend up (+26,000).

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation 

(+21,000) also contributed to the job gain. 

Among its component industries, 

employment in performing arts and spectator 

sports and in amusements, gambling, and 

recreation edged up in April, offsetting 

weakness in March. 

 

26

8

21

-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Food services and drinking places

Accommodation

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

Employment in leisure and hospitality

April 2017 Prior 6-month average

Over-the-month change, April 2017

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Leisure and 

hospitality:

55*

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017.

Data are preliminary.

* denotes significance

Leisure and Hospitality

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017
 Employment in other services 

continued to trend up in April (+7,000).

This industry has added 56,000 jobs over 

the year. Personal and laundry services 

accounted for 72 percent of the job 

gains over this period, including 8,000 in 

April.

8

0 19 12

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2 15

-6

5 12

0

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7 11

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9 12

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0

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-30

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-10

0

10

20

30

Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15 Jan-16 Jul-16 Jan-17

Employment in other services

Over-the-month change, January 2014–April 2017

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Other Services

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017
 Government employment changed 

little in April (+17,000) and has remained 

essentially flat since September 2016. 

Since its most recent trough in January 

2014, government employment has 

increased by 535,000. Local government 

accounted for 415,000 of this increase.

21,400

21,600

21,800

22,000

22,200

22,400

22,600

22,800

23,000

23,200

23,400

Jan-07 Jan-09 Jan-11 Jan-13 Jan-15 Jan-17

Employment in government

April 2017 Level: 22,340

OTM Change: 17

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics survey, May 05, 2017.

Shaded area represents recession as denoted by the National Bureau of Economic Research. 

Most recent 2 months of data are preliminary.

* denotes significance

January 2007–April 2017

Seasonally adjusted, in thousands

Government

Summary Mining & 

Logging Construction Manufacturing

Trade: 

Wholesale

Retail

Transp., 

Warehousing

& Utilities

Information Financial

Activities

Professional

& Business

Services

Private

Education

& Health

Services

Leisure & 

Hospitality

Other

Services Government

CES Highlights Release Date: May 5, 2017
Prepared by Staff of the National Estimates Branch

Current Employment Statistics Survey

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

202-691-6555

Email CES

CES Analysts

Michael Calvillo

Wander Cedeño

Tyler Downing

Brittney Forbes

Mike McCall

Michael Osifalujo

Edward Park

Trinity Wade

Julia Wolfe

Current Employment Statistics Highlights

Detailed Industry Employment Analysis