U.S. Factories and Warehouses Added Jobs in October

U.S. manufacturing employment continued to trend up in October, rising by 19,000, and transportation and warehousing added 25,000 jobs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said in the Employment Situation report released November 6. Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 165,000. The unemployment rate, at 4.1 percent, changed little and has remained in a range of 4.1 percent to 4.3 percent since March, BLS said.

Manufacturing has added 101,000 jobs since a recent low in December 2025, according to the report. In October, BLS said job gains occurred in computer and electronic product manufacturing (+7,000), machinery manufacturing (+4,000), and primary metal manufacturing (+4,000). The average manufacturing workweek was unchanged at 40.5 hours, and overtime edged up by 0.1 hour to 3.1 hours.

In transportation and warehousing, October’s gain reflected growth in couriers and messengers (+17,000) and air transportation (+4,000), BLS said. The sector has added 104,000 jobs since a recent employment low in February, with couriers and messengers accounting for 71,000 of that increase.

Elsewhere in the establishment survey, professional and business services increased by 70,000 in October, well above the 15,000 average monthly gain over the prior 12 months, and health care added 42,000 jobs. BLS said employment showed little change in construction, wholesale trade, retail trade, and several other major industries.

Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 14 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $38.00 in October, and have increased by 3.1 percent over the past 12 months, BLS said. The average workweek for all private employees remained at 34.4 hours.

BLS also revised earlier payroll figures. The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for August was revised up by 53,000, from 133,000 to 186,000, and the change for September was revised up by 31,000, from 29,000 to 60,000. Combined, employment in August and September is 84,000 higher than previously reported, the bureau said. The Employment Situation for November is scheduled for Friday, December 4, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. eastern time.

What it means for manufacturers

The October report describes a labor market that is still adding factory and warehouse jobs, not one that is shedding them. It does not, by itself, say whether a particular plant or 3PL shift is easier to staff. Hiring in computer and electronic products, machinery, and primary metals is where the factory gains showed up; courier and messenger work accounted for most of the transportation and warehousing increase. Wage growth of 3.1 percent over the year is a planning input for standard-cost updates, not a signal to freeze hiring or to assume labor is suddenly cheap.

A practical next step is to compare your own open manufacturing, warehouse, and driving roles with these sector trends, and to make sure next quarter’s labor and overtime assumptions match current hours — 40.5 in manufacturing, with a slight rise in overtime — rather than a year-old budget. If you are carrying a staffing plan into a sales-and-operations meeting, our note on S&OP for small manufacturers outlines the agenda. For help building that plan, see our fractional supply chain manager service.

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “The Employment Situation — October 2026,” USDL-26-1632 (released Nov. 6, 2026)

Additional sources

• The same BLS release reports that the number of people employed part time for economic reasons increased by 339,000 to 4.8 million in October, and that long-term unemployment (27 weeks or more) was little changed at 2.0 million. The labor force participation rate was 61.9 percent, and the employment-population ratio was 59.3 percent, both little changed on the month.
• Average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 12 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $32.75 in October, BLS said. Professional and business services has added 269,000 jobs since a recent low in October 2025, according to the report.