The manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy added 12,000 jobs in October, largely a result of 18,000 striking employees returned to work in the aerospace industry, the U.S. Labor Department reported on Nov. 4. A 22,000-job gain in total transportation equipment employment was partially offset by the loss of 2,000 jobs in computer and peripheral equipment, 3,000 jobs in electrical equipment and appliances, and 4,000 in other kinds of manufacturing.
The work week in manufacturing among production and non-supervisory workers averaged 41 hours, up four-tenths of an hour from September. Factory overtime was unchanged at 4.5 hours in October.
October's gain in manufacturing employment came after the loss of 28,000 manufacturing jobs in September. The goods-producing sector of the economy, of which manufacturing is a part, added 49,000 jobs in October while the service-providing sector added only 7,000 jobs.
Employment in the overall nonfarm portion of the U.S. economy grew by 56,000 jobs in October. The U.S. unemployment rate fell a tenth of a percent to 5% in October.
