Which U.S. Industries Are Adding and Losing Jobs?
Key Takeaways
- Healthcare led U.S. job growth between September 2025 and September 2026, adding 371,800 jobs.
- Social assistance, professional and business services, and construction each added more than 100,000 jobs.
- Government employment fell by 216,000 jobs, while information and financial activities lost another 227,000 combined.
America’s job market is moving in different directions depending on the industry. While demand for healthcare and social services continues to grow, government and several traditional office-based sectors are shedding workers.
This graphic shows the 12-month net change in U.S. employment by sector from September 2025 to September 2026, using seasonally adjusted preliminary estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Care Services Keep Job Growth Positive
Healthcare (371,800) and social assistance (148,600) together added more than 520,000 jobs over the year, making care-related services a major driver of U.S. employment growth. Healthcare has also become the top sector by employment in more than 80% of states.
Construction (109,000) and professional and business services (123,000) provided other major sources of hiring. However, substantial declines in government (216,000), information (120,000), and financial activities (107,000) offset many of those gains.
The following table ranks U.S. sectors by their net employment change between September 2025 and September 2026.
| Industry | 12-month net change in jobs | 12-month percent change |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 371,800 | 2.0% |
| Social assistance | 148,600 | 2.8% |
| Professional and business services | 123,000 | 0.6% |
| Construction | 109,000 | 1.3% |
| Leisure and hospitality | 62,000 | 0.4% |
| Manufacturing | 40,000 | 0.3% |
| Other services | 34,000 | 0.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 26,500 | 0.4% |
| Retail trade | 26,500 | 0.2% |
| Utilities | 10,100 | 1.7% |
| Mining and logging | 2,000 | 0.3% |
| Private educational services | -3,900 | -0.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | -9,800 | -0.1% |
| Financial activities | -107,000 | -1.2% |
| Information | -120,000 | -4.2% |
| Government | -216,000 | -0.9% |
Hospitals and home healthcare providers added a combined 188,800 jobs, accounting for about half of healthcare’s increase. Hiring also expanded across physicians’ offices, outpatient centers, and nursing and residential care facilities.
Within social assistance, individual and family services drove the expansion, adding 152,800 positions. Childcare employment declined slightly, highlighting differences in hiring trends across care-related services.
An Aging America Needs More Care
America’s aging population is a major force behind the demand for care workers. The number of Americans aged 65 and older reached 61.2 million in 2024, up 13% since 2020. This growing population is increasing demand for medical treatment and long-term assistance.
More care is also moving into people’s homes and communities. Many older adults prefer to remain at home, where support can be less expensive than institutional care. Aides assist with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, preparing meals, and getting to appointments, helping clients maintain greater independence.
For job seekers, these roles often offer an entry point without a college degree, although pay can be modest. Home health and personal care aides earned a median annual wage of $35,800 in May 2025, compared with $50,980 across all occupations. Strong demand for workers therefore coexists with relatively low earnings in an important part of the care economy.
Federal Downsizing Drives Government Losses
Federal employment fell by 232,000 over the year, a reduction of roughly 8%. That exceeded the overall decline of 216,000 government jobs nationwide, as local government hiring partially offset federal and state losses. State governments shed 25,000 jobs, while local governments added 41,000.
The federal contraction followed a sweeping workforce-reduction campaign. A February 2025 executive order directed agencies to prepare large-scale staff reductions. A separate deferred-resignation program offered eligible employees pay and benefits through September 2025, ahead of their departure.
Partly reflecting federal job cuts, Washington, D.C., recorded the nation’s highest unemployment rate, at 5.7%.
Private-sector losses extended across publishing, telecommunications, and finance. Insurance carriers and related businesses shed 76,000 jobs over the year, accounting for most of the decline in financial activities. These reductions narrowed opportunities in established office-based industries even as demand for care workers continued to grow.
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To explore which occupations are shrinking fastest, check out The fastest-shrinking jobs in the U.S. on Voronoi.