WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly all major sectors posted job gains in June, with health care and social assistance leading the way with more than 59,000 added jobs.
The hiring was fueled by physicians' offices, clinics, hospitals and home health care companies, even amid uncertainty around health care legislation in Congress. Child care and family service providers also boosted payrolls. Over the past 12 months, the education and health sector has added nearly a half-million jobs.
Governments added 35,000 jobs, that category's biggest monthly gain since July 2016. Most of the surge was fueled by local governments, which offset job declines at the state level.
Restaurants, hotels and entertainment added 36,000 jobs. Professional and business services, which includes higher-paying occupations such as engineers and consultants, gained 35,000.
Retail reversed four straight months of declines with 8,100 added jobs. But information — a sector that includes publishing, broadcast and telecommunications — lost jobs for a ninth straight month.
Overall, employers added 222,000 jobs in June. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4 percent from 4.3 percent in May.
