In May 2025, employers added 139,000 new jobs across the United States. The unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2 percent.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported that most of the new jobs in April were in these areas:
- Health care
- Leisure and hospitality
- Social assistance
Health care
Employment in health care rose by 62,000 jobs in May, higher than the average monthly gain of 44,000 over the prior 12 months. Most of the new jobs were in ambulatory health care services, hospitals, and nursing and residential care facilities.
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 the Health Sciences overview video or Careers in Health Science 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.
Leisure and hospitality
Employment in leisure and hospitality grew by 48,000 in May, mainly in food services and drinking places. Over the past year, leisure and hospitality added an average of 20,000 jobs per month.
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.
Transportation and warehousing
Employment in transportation remained steady in May.
Job openings in this industry range from entry-level warehouse and fulfillment jobs to logistics and operations manager positions. Also in demand are commercial driving jobs, which require a CDL license that can be earned in less than two months (locate a local CDL training program near you).
Learn more about this field from the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics overview video, or explore Careers in Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics.
Visit the Job Finder to search for transportation or warehousing jobs near you.
Retail trade
Retail trade employment also remained steady in May, and has changed little over the past year.
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 in manufacturing in May. 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.
Construction
Construction employment stayed about the same in May as it was in April.
Learn more about the construction industry in this overview video of architecture and construction or explore architecture and construction careers.
Learn more about your local job market for construction by visiting the Job Finder to search by keyword, business name, or job title.
Professional and business services
The number of professional and business services jobs also remained stable 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.
Education
Employment in education also remained relatively steady in May.
View these videos to learn more: Education and training overview or Education and training careers.
Visit the Job Finder to search for education jobs near you.
Earnings
Employees' average hourly earnings rose by 15 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $36.24 in May.