The jobs report showed much of the growth last month occurred in government hiring, which resulted in 37,000 net new jobs. Hiring in the service sector continued to rise in such industries as professional and business services, which added 34,000 jobs overall; financial services, which added 26,000 jobs; and the leisure and hospitality category, which expanded hiring by 13,000.

The troubled manufacturing sector shed 18,000 jobs, the first decline in two months. However, the nation's factories have boosted hiring by 88,000 jobs in the previous seven months. Construction employment grew by 4,000. The sector has showed little growth since May.

From: Houston Chronicle