Health services and restaurant gigs are in strong demand, while office jobs are not.
May’s jobs report out Friday morning showed the US added 139,000 new jobs that month. Adding in March and April’s numbers, that means that there are 406,000 more employed workers now than in February.
But over those last three months, gains have been tightly concentrated in two sectors, while the rest of the labor market has been much flatter.
Employment in private education and health services jumped by 252,000 in May from February, with robust growth at hospitals and individual and family services.
Employment in leisure and hospitality rose by 122,000 from February, mainly due to growth in food services and drinking places, which include restaurants and bars.
Together, that means those two sectors account for 92% of the total net job growth from February to May.
Cory Stahle, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, told Business Insider there are still job opportunities, especially if you want an in-person job like in healthcare. However, he said there is less demand in white-collar fields.
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“Right now, your feelings as a job seeker are going to be largely determined based on the type of work you do or the type of work you’re looking for,” Stahle said.
White-collar changes were mixed: employment in financial activities increased from three months ago, while professional and business services fell. However, the growth in financial activities was small compared to the healthcare sector or leisure and hospitality.
“This report’s a really good example of what we’ve seen as a trend in the last couple of years, which is there are real divides that have emerged in job opportunities for job seekers,” Stahle said.
Are you a job seeker or recently landed work in healthcare or leisure and hospitality? Share your story with this reporter at [email protected].
