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Employers added 172,000 new jobs in May 2026. The unemployment rate remained relatively steady at 4.3 percent. The new jobs were mostly in:
- Leisure and hospitality
- Local government
- Healthcare
There were 70,000 new jobs in leisure and hospitality in May, with food services and drinking places adding 48,000 of them.
Learn more about this field in this overview video of hospitality and tourism or explore hospitality and tourism careers.
Want to know more about your local job market for leisure and hospitality opportunities? Visit the Business Finder and search for local businesses such as restaurants, entertainment spaces, hotels, or more. Then visit the Job Finder to search by keyword, business name, or job title.
Healthcare employers added 35,000 jobs in May. This is similar to the average monthly gain of 32,000 over the prior 12 months, and more than 95 percent of all new jobs in 2025 were in healthcare. April job gains occurred in nursing and residential care facilities and home health care services.
While most healthcare provider jobs require specific training, licenses, or certifications, you can get started as a certified nursing assistant with a few months of training (find a certified nursing assistant training program in your area; they generally last from 4 to 12 weeks). Other openings for people new to health care are in customer service positions or administrative jobs at all levels.
If you already have health care experience or credentials, visit the Job Finder to search for jobs near you. You can use the Business Finder to identify health care facilities near you.
Watch a Healthcare and Human Services Overview video to learn more about the health care field.
Then visit the Local Training Finder to learn more about health care training and credentialing options.
Employment in social assistance in social assistance continued to trend up in May with 10,000 new jobs in individual and family services leading to a 12,000 net job gain for the industry. Social assistance jobs include a wide range of human services roles focused on helping people meet their basic needs. This includes caseworkers, social workers, substance abuse counselors, and community outreach workers.
Some entry-level jobs in this field, such as social service assistants, require only a high school degree and no experience. Others, such as social workers and mental health counselors, require advanced college degrees.
Watch the Human Services overview video or Careers in Human Services video to learn more about the social assistance and human services field.
Want to know more about your local job market for social assistance opportunities? Visit the Business Finder and search for human services organizations in your area. Then visit the Job Finder to search by keyword, business name, or job title.
Retail trade jobs remained steady in May. Employment increased in warehouse clubs, supercenters, and other general merchandise retailers; and in building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers. But employment declined in department stores and in electronics and appliance retailers.
Work in the retail industry tends to be fast-paced and people-focused, often involving customer service, sales, and store operations (like stocking or cleaning). Retail jobs can offer flexibility but also stress from demanding customers, and schedules that might include evenings and weekends.
Most retail jobs are in person and you can search for “retail” or the type of store you are interested in at Job Finder. You can also search the Business Finder for stores and other retail opportunities near you.
Manufacturing employment also remained steady. The manufacturing industry includes jobs that produce products and equipment—from commercial products such as concrete, metals, chemicals, and machinery, to personal products like computers, clothing, toys, and food and beverages. Customer demand for products continues to rise, so new jobs may be more likely here in the coming months as manufacturing plants begin producing more products.
Learn more about manufacturing in this overview video of the manufacturing industry or explore manufacturing careers.
Want to know more about your local job market for opportunities in manufacturing? Visit the Business Finder and search for local employers using the keyword "manufacturing". Then visit the Job Finder to search by keyword, business name, or job title.
Employment in this field also remained steady in May. Many jobs in this field are in management and technical consulting services, architectural and engineering services, and scientific research and development services. Many jobs in this industry can be remote or hybrid positions.
If you have experience in any of these fields, you can search local job postings, or find a remote or virtual job.
If you don't have training or experience in a professional service, there are also many work-from-home options in customer service and other areas. Try searching "customer service" or other keywords for jobs you're interested in to see what might be a good fit for you.
Employees' average hourly earnings rose by 12 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $37.53 in March.