Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 225,000 in January, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 3.6%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Notable job gains occurred in construction, in health care, and in transportation and warehousing. 

Manufacturing employment fell by 12,000 in January and has shown little movement, on net, over the past 12 months. Motor vehicles and parts lost 11,000 jobs over the month. In January, construction employment rose by 44,000. Most of the gain occurred in specialty trade contractors, with increases in both the residential (+18,000) and nonresidential (+17,000) components. Construction added an average of 12,000 jobs per month in 2019.