Nonfarm payroll employment held steady in September (+51,000), and the unemployment rate, at 4.6 percent, was essentially unchanged. Payroll employment had increased by 188,000 in August and by 123,000 in July, as revised. Over the month, employment rose in health care and in financial activities and declined in manufacturing. Employment was little changed in other major industry groups. Average hourly earnings rose by 4 cents, or 0.2 percent, in September.

In the service-providing sector, health care added 24,000 jobs in September, in line with the average monthly gain for the first 8 months of this year. Since December, health care employment has expanded by 231,000.

Employment in financial activities rose by 16,000 over the month. Job growth continued in credit intermediation and in insurance. Real estate employment was flat over the month and has shown no net change since April. Employment continued to expand in food services and drinking places (+15,000) and in the durable goods component of wholesale trade (+9,000).

Within professional and business services, employment increased by 10,000 in accounting and bookkeeping services and by 6,000 in management of companies and enterprises. Employment in both computer systems design and temporary help services was little changed in September. Computer systems design employment has trended up during the year, while temporary help employment has been relatively flat.

Elsewhere in the service-providing sector, employment continued to trend down in retail trade. In September, job losses occurred in sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores and in department stores. Over the past 6 months, employment declines in department stores have totaled 48,000. The number of jobs in state education declined in September, and employment in private education edged down following an unusually large gain in August.

In the goods-producing sector, construction employment was little changed, following a gain of 23,000 in August. Since February, employment has grown by a modest 41,000, largely reflecting job gains in nonresidential specialty trade contracting that more than offset job losses in residential specialty trade contracting.