Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2018-11-02

Advance copies of this statement are made available to the press under lock-up conditions with the explicit understanding that the data are embargoed until 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 250,000 in October, and the unemployment rate held at 3.7 percent. Employment increased in health care, in manufacturing, in construction, and in transportation and warehousing. Incorporating revisions for August and September, which offset each other, monthly job gains averaged 218,000 over the past 3 months. Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on October 10, 2018, during the reference periods for both the establishment and household surveys. Hurricane Michael had no discernible effect on the national employment and unemployment estimates for October, and response rates for the two surveys were within normal ranges. Regional and state estimates for October will be released on November 16th. In October, health care added 36,000 jobs.