Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release - 2021 M10 Results — 2021-11-05

Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 531,000 in October, and the unemployment rate edged down by 0.2 percentage point to 4.6 percent. Job growth was widespread, with notable job gains in leisure and hospitality, in professional and business services, in manufacturing, and in transportation and warehousing. Employment declined in public education over the month. Incorporating revisions for August and September, which increased nonfarm payroll employment by 235,000, job growth has averaged 582,000 per month thus far in 2021. Since April 2020, employment has increased by 18.2 million but is down by 4.2 million, or 2.8 percent, from its level before the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in February 2020. Employment in leisure and hospitality rose by 164,000 in October, with gains in food services and drinking places (+119,000) and accommodation (+23,000). Employment in leisure and hospitality is down by 1.4 million, or 8.2 percent, from February 2020.