Current Employment Statistics (CES0500000001) · Total private, seasonally adjusted
How many jobs are there in the private sector?
The number of jobs in the private sector was 135,717 thousand in the month ended , up 0.5% from a year earlier (preliminary).
Jobs in the private sector, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, each month
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Jobs in the private sector, in thousands, change from a year earlier, each month (ours)
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Each point is one month of the series as the source publishes it, or a change worked out from those values (ours). The US recessions are shaded. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
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Inspect and compare dates
The newest month beside the one before it and the nearest ones a year, five and ten years earlier. The last ten years are in the table under "The numbers behind the chart".
| Measure | Latest | The month before | A year earlier | Five years earlier | Ten years earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | |||||
| Jobs in the private sector, in thousands | 135,717 thousand | 135,671 thousand | 135,005 thousand | 125,669 thousand | 122,644 thousand |
| Change over a year | +0.5% | +0.5% | +0.4% | +4.9% | +2.0% |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Observed .
Right now
The number of jobs in the private sector was 135,717 thousand in September 2026, the highest since our record begins in January 1939.
Over a year it is up 0.5% (ours). The source marks this value preliminary.
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | 135,671 thousand in | 0.0% |
| Three months | 135,554 thousand in | +0.1% |
| Twelve months | 135,005 thousand in | +0.5% |
| Five years | 125,669 thousand in | +8.0% |
| Ten years | 122,644 thousand in | +10.7% |
In historyOurs
The number of jobs in the private sector of 135,717 thousand in was higher than in 1,052 of the 1,052 other months since , the same in 0 and lower in 0.
Highest since : 135,717 thousand in . Lowest since : 25,935 thousand in .
AverageOurs
Average since : 78,794.9 thousand (ours, a plain mean of the 1,053 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the number of jobs in the private sector is up 0.5%, which ranks 11 of the 35 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the number of jobs in the private sector beside the industries on the jobs by industry page, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.
Openings and turnoverJob Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
In August 2026 the survey counted, for total private, 6,348 thousand job openings, 4,846 thousand hires, 2,895 thousand quits and 1,567 thousand layoffs and discharges.
Over a year the counts are job openings up 2.4%, hires down 0.1%, quits down 0.6% and layoffs and discharges down 10.1% (ours).
Job openings, hires, quits and layoffs in total private
- Job openings6,3483,955 to 11,284
- Hires4,8463,805 to 7,875
- Quits2,8951,825 to 4,262
- Layoffs and discharges1,5671,235 to 12,755
Each row is one measure of the second survey for total private, in thousands over the last ten years, one month to a point, on one scale, with its newest value and its range printed beside it. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
Observed .
Understanding the number of jobs in the private sector
Where it stands today
The number of jobs in the private sector was 135,717 thousand in September 2026.
What does the number of jobs in the private sector measure?
The private sector is every business and nonprofit organization in the United States, which is every nonfarm job except those in government. BLS calls the line total private; it is the sum of the goods-producing industries and the private service-providing industries.
Read more
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counts these jobs each month in a survey of employers, the Current Employment Statistics, and publishes them in the Employment Situation report at the start of the next month. The count is all employees on payrolls, in thousands, seasonally adjusted.
What 500metrics adds: the change over one month, three months, a year and five years, the highest and lowest value since the series begins, how the change over a year ranks among the lines of the jobs by industry page. For this industry it also shows the job openings, hires, quits and layoffs from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), a second BLS survey, beside the count of jobs.
The numbers behind the chart
What was the number of jobs in the private sector in each month?The last ten years, 120 months, newest first; the chart and the file have every month since Jan 1939
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 135,717 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 135,671 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 135,582 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 135,554 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 135,528 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 135,467 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 135,317 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 135,115 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 135,263 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 135,083 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 135,090 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 135,018 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 135,005 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 134,937 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 134,957 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 134,892 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 134,937 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 134,917 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 134,818 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 134,751 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 134,711 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 134,787 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 134,575 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 134,459 thousand | +0.7% |
Show 96 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 134,463 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 134,321 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 134,348 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 134,356 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 134,278 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 134,233 thousand | +1.1% | |
| 134,170 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 134,027 thousand | +1.1% | |
| 133,892 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 133,766 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 133,667 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 133,583 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 133,469 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 133,354 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 133,206 thousand | +1.9% | |
| 133,088 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 132,933 thousand | +2.4% | |
| 132,733 thousand | +2.5% | |
| 132,554 thousand | +2.5% | |
| 132,528 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 132,292 thousand | +3.4% | |
| 131,977 thousand | +3.3% | |
| 131,863 thousand | +3.7% | |
| 131,646 thousand | +4.0% | |
| 131,285 thousand | +4.5% | |
| 131,056 thousand | +4.7% | |
| 130,766 thousand | +4.8% | |
| 130,216 thousand | +5.2% | |
| 129,799 thousand | +5.4% | |
| 129,554 thousand | +5.6% | |
| 129,282 thousand | +5.6% | |
| 128,793 thousand | +5.9% | |
| 127,957 thousand | +5.6% | |
| 127,754 thousand | +5.7% | |
| 127,184 thousand | +5.1% | |
| 126,545 thousand | +4.9% | |
| 125,669 thousand | +4.9% | |
| 125,178 thousand | +5.4% | |
| 124,723 thousand | +5.9% | |
| 123,789 thousand | +6.5% | |
| 123,136 thousand | +10.3% | |
| 122,694 thousand | +13.1% | |
| 122,388 thousand | −4.4% | |
| 121,626 thousand | −6.0% | |
| 121,122 thousand | −6.3% | |
| 120,870 thousand | −6.4% | |
| 121,050 thousand | −6.1% | |
| 120,655 thousand | −6.3% | |
| 119,841 thousand | −6.9% | |
| 118,821 thousand | −7.6% | |
| 117,741 thousand | −8.3% | |
| 116,259 thousand | −9.3% | |
| 111,647 thousand | −12.8% | |
| 108,517 thousand | −15.2% | |
| 128,068 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 129,436 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 129,250 thousand | +1.3% | |
| 129,068 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 128,958 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 128,790 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 128,712 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 128,544 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 128,365 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 128,234 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 128,056 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 127,972 thousand | +1.6% | |
| 127,726 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 127,542 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 127,552 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 127,298 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 127,144 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 127,048 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 126,884 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 126,809 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 126,584 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 126,478 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 126,293 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 125,976 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 125,853 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 125,635 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 125,286 thousand | +1.6% | |
| 125,139 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 124,993 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 124,788 thousand | +1.6% | |
| 124,675 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 124,609 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 124,398 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 124,223 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 124,033 thousand | +1.9% | |
| 123,840 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 123,641 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 123,520 thousand | +1.9% | |
| 123,312 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 123,104 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 122,906 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 122,770 thousand | +1.9% |
How does it compare with the industries on the jobs by industry page?Ranked by the change over a year
| Series | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 23,959 thousand | +2.2% | 1 | |
| Private education and health | 28,005 thousand | +1.9% | 2 | |
| Utilities | 612 thousand | +1.7% | 3 | |
| Construction | 8,364 thousand | +1.3% | 4 | |
| Durable goods | 7,898 thousand | +1.1% | 5 | |
| Professional, scientific, technical | 10,844 thousand | +0.8% | 6 | |
| Accommodation and food services | 14,310 thousand | +0.7% | 7 | |
| Goods-producing | 21,623 thousand | +0.7% | 7 | |
| Other services | 6,039 thousand | +0.6% | 9 | |
| Professional and business services | 22,482 thousand | +0.6% | 9 | |
| Administrative, support, waste | 9,019 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Private service-providing | 114,094 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Total private (this page) | 135,717 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Leisure and hospitality | 16,969 thousand | +0.4% | 14 | |
| Wholesale trade | 6,078 thousand | +0.4% | 14 | |
| Local government | 15,173 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Manufacturing | 12,652 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Mining and logging | 607 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Service-providing | 137,421 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Total nonfarm | 159,044 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Retail trade | 15,480 thousand | +0.2% | 21 | |
| Trade, transportation, utilities | 28,778 thousand | +0.2% | 21 | |
| Mining, oil and gas extraction | 567 thousand | +0.1% | 23 | |
| Private education | 4,046 thousand | −0.1% | 24 | |
| Transportation and warehousing | 6,609 thousand | −0.1% | 24 | |
| Management of companies | 2,620 thousand | −0.3% | 26 | |
| State government | 5,472 thousand | −0.5% | 27 | |
| Real estate, rental, leasing | 2,438 thousand | −0.6% | 28 | |
| Government | 23,327 thousand | −0.9% | 29 | |
| Nondurable goods | 4,754 thousand | −0.9% | 29 | |
| Financial activities | 9,082 thousand | −1.2% | 31 | |
| Finance and insurance | 6,645 thousand | −1.4% | 32 | |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 2,659 thousand | −1.6% | 33 | |
| Information | 2,739 thousand | −4.2% | 34 | |
| Federal government | 2,682 thousand | −8.0% | 35 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
How many job openings, hires, quits and layoffs were there in total private?Newest month of each measure
| Measure | Month | Count | Rate | Change over a year | Where the count stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job openings (preliminary) | 6,348 thousand | 4.5% | +2.4% | the lowest since March 2026 | |
| Hires (preliminary) | 4,846 thousand | 3.6% | −0.1% | the lowest since February 2026 | |
| Quits (preliminary) | 2,895 thousand | 2.1% | −0.6% | the highest since June 2026 | |
| Layoffs and discharges (preliminary) | 1,567 thousand | 1.2% | −10.1% | the lowest since March 2025 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- BLS counts jobs, not people: a person with two jobs on two payrolls is counted twice. Farm jobs, the self-employed, unpaid family workers, private household workers and members of the military are not counted.
- The count comes from a survey of employers, so each month's value carries sampling error. BLS revises each month twice in the two months after it is first published, and each February it benchmarks the series to a full count of jobs from unemployment insurance tax records and revises earlier values, so past values on this page can change.
- BLS publishes this series from 1939.
- The job openings, hires, quits and layoffs come from JOLTS, a separate survey of employers that BLS holds from December 2000 and publishes about a month after the payroll counts, so its newest month can be an earlier month than the count of jobs.
- The changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values are ours, worked out from the values BLS publishes; a change is in percent.
Observed . Checked .
Observed .
How to cite this
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, Total private, seasonally adjusted, through September 2026, with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, through August 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How many jobs are there in the private sector?", https://500metrics.com/jobs-by-industry/total-private.
Can the data be downloaded?jobs-by-industry-total-private.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 1,053 rows, to , 19,553 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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