The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that U.S. employers added 73,000 jobs in July, falling short of economists’ expectations of between 100,000 and 115,000 jobs.
The agency also issued sharp downward revisions for May and June, showing that those two months combined saw 258,000 fewer positions added than previously reported.
Private education and health services industry sees robust job gains in July
A bright spot in the July 2025 jobs report is the continued momentum in job growth within private education and health services. Employers in this sector expanded payrolls by 79,000 jobs last month, according to the BLS.
The agency reports these industries also saw job gains in July:
Retail trade: 15,700 jobs added
Financial activities: 15,000 jobs added
Leisure and hospitality: 5,000 jobs added
Transportation and warehousing: 3,600 jobs added
Construction: 2,000 jobs added
Industries that reported job losses last month include professional and business services (-14,000 jobs), manufacturing (-11,000 jobs), government (-10,000 jobs), and wholesale trade (-7,800 jobs).