Here’s where the jobs stand for August 2024 – in one chart

The August jobs report was weaker than expected and job growth across sectors painted a mixed picture for the U.S. economy.

The growth was led by sectors such as leisure, hospitality and health care and social assistance, with each category adding more than 40,000 jobs, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

If private education were included in the health care group, as some economists do, that category would grow by 47,000 jobs.

Elsewhere in the report, related categories of jobs saw mixed data. Construction was a bright spot, adding 34,000 jobs, but manufacturing lost 24,000. Professional and business services gained 8,000 jobs, but information lost 7,000.

“Job growth right now is really only coming from three corners: leisure and hospitality, health care and education, and government. … We’re just not seeing a lot of growth in business and professional services, and I think that’s a sign of an economy that’s slowing,” former Labor Department chief economist Betsey Stevenson said on “Squawk Box.”

Even some of the stronger categories slowed, at least temporarily. The health care subsector added 31,000 jobs, or about half its average over the previous 12 months, the bureau said.