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The business services, education and health services industries led job gains for the month of August, besting laggards like retail and manufacturing, according to the latest government jobs report.
CNBC analyzed the net changes by industry for August based on the data from the Labor Department, which found that the U.S. economy created 201,000 jobs last month, more than the 191,000 estimated increase from economists surveyed by Reuters.
The professional and business services sector tied with the education and health sector for the largest net employment gains for the month, with increases of 53,000 jobs each.
The manufacturing industry lost jobs for the first time since July 2017, though the total decline was just 3,000.
The loss comes after the sector added a strong 37,000 jobs last month, nearly matching June’s 36,000 print. Motor vehicle and parts manufacturing contributed a decline of nearly 5,000 jobs.
To be sure, manufacturing employment has been on a hot streak in recent months, up 254,000 over the year, according to the Labor Department.
For the business sector, more than half came from hiring in professional and technical services such as accounting, bookkeeping and advertising.
In the education and health industry, medical providers like physicians, dentists and outpatient care clinics posted healthy numbers, with total ambulatory services adding 21,100 jobs over the month.
Transportation and warehousing also posted a strong month, adding 20,200 jobs. This industry includes jobs such as air, rail, water and truck transportation as well as warehousing and storage services.
Changes in retail employment, which tend to be more volatile than other sectors, included a loss of 5,900 jobs in August after clothing and clothing accessories stores cut more than 20,000 positions.