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The U.S. economy added 172,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, with the unemployment rate holding at 4.3 percent for the second straight month.
The May gain was in line with a revised April figure of 179,000 jobs. Revisions to March and April combined added 93,000 jobs to previously reported totals — March was revised up to 214,000 from 185,000, and April was revised up from 115,000.
Leisure and hospitality was the largest source of new jobs, adding 70,000 positions in May. That figure was well above the sector's average monthly gain of 14,000 over the prior 12 months. Food services and drinking places accounted for 48,000 of those gains.
Local government added 55,000 jobs, driven by a gain of 44,000 in non-education positions. Health care added 35,000 jobs, roughly in line with its 12-month average of 38,000 per month. Ambulatory health care services accounted for 26,000 of those gains, including 11,000 in home health care.
