Jobs

Here's where the jobs are — in one chart

Key Points
  • The U.S. Department of Labor announced the net job changes by industry for January.
  • Construction, health care and food services contributed the most to the solid jobs report, while the information industry shed workers.
The silhouette of a contractor is seen hammering wood framing for a house under construction in the Norton Commons subdivision of Louisville, Kentucky.
Luke Sharrett | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The health-care, construction and hospitality industries led the economy's big job gains over the past month.

The U.S. economy created 200,000 jobs in January, topping Wall Street expectations of 180,000. As always, there are industries that performed better than others in terms of employment growth.

Here are the net changes by industry for the month of January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The education and health services industry led job growth in the U.S. economy over the month of January with a 38,000 gain, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Health care and social assistance accounted for two-thirds of the addition, with continued growth in ambulatory services and hospital employment.

Coming in at a close second, construction posted 36,000 jobs during the first month of the year thanks to strong numbers in specialty trade contracting jobs. Over the year, construction employment has increased by 226,000, the government said.

"Employment in manufacturing remained on an upward trend," the BLS said in the release Friday. "Durable goods industries added 18,000 jobs. Manufacturing has added 186,000 jobs over the past 12 months."

The Labor Department also highlighted the food services and drinking places industry, which contributed 31,000 of 35,000 jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry.

On the flip side, the information industry lost 6,000 jobs, while utilities shed 1,400, though the BLS said that they reflected minor losses.