July’s jobs report will give you motivation to power through your summer job search

We’re in the dog days of summer, and while you would probably prefer to be poolside, soaking up sunshine and floating around on a pizza-shaped float, you promised yourself that you would find a job this summer. So, crank up the AC and power up your computer because the labor market continues to look hot, hot, hot.

According to the latest monthly jobs report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a mild 157,000 jobs were added in July. While this dips below the 180,000 jobs economists predicted, and falls short of the average monthly gain of 203,000 over the past year, it’s still a solid number that certainly won’t burn job seekers.

And don't forget that this has been a scorcher of a summer for the labor market, especially with the revisions made to the past two jobs reports turning up the heat. Both May and June’s originally reported job numbers increased, with May’s numbers changing from 244,000 to 268,000, and June’s going from 213,000 to 248,000. With these revisions, that’s a combined 59,000 more jobs than previously reported. So much for a “summer slowdown,” huh?

Job growth

Like the temperature outside, wages have also gone up, too, now surpassing the $27 per hour mark. July’s report showed that average hourly earnings increased by 7 cents for a total of $27.05.

Wages

After see-sawing all summer long, the unemployment rate dropped back down, going from 4% to 3.9%.

Unemployment rate

Job gains were made across a number of sectors last month. See which industries experienced the most job growth in July:

Business and professional services

Number of jobs created: 51,000 jobs

Job growth areas: Temporary help services, computer systems design

Companies hiring: ADP, Konica Minolta, NTT Data

Find all business jobs on Monster.

Manufacturing

Number of jobs created: 37,000 jobs

Job growth areas: Durable goods, transportation equipment, machinery, electronic equipment

Companies hiring: Honeywell, Ford Motor Company, Whirlpool

Find all manufacturing jobs on Monster.

Health care

Number of jobs created: 34,000 jobs

Job growth areas:  Hospitals, social assistance

Companies hiring: Mercy Health, Brookdale Senior Living, St. Peter’s Health Partners (SPHP)

Find all health care jobs on Monster.

Food services and drinking places

Number of jobs created: 26,000 jobs

Companies hiring: Pilot Flying J, Pizza Hut, Panera Bread

Find all food services jobs on Monster.

Construction

Number of jobs created: 19,000 jobs

Companies hiring: Webcor Builders,  Michael Page, Army National Guard

Find all construction jobs on Monster.

Retail

Number of jobs created: 7,000 jobs

Job growth areas: General merchandise stores, clothing and clothing accessories stores, food and beverage stores

Companies hiring: Walgreens, The Container Store, Best Buy

Find all retail jobs on Monster.

August’s jobs report comes out Friday, Sept. 7 at 8:30 a.m. EST. In the meantime, you can find the top companies hiring on Monster right now.

Job search next steps

Knowing the top industries hiring is a key step in the job search process. But now it's time to get out there and get some exposure. Need some help with that? Join Monster for free today. As a member, you can get job alerts emailed right to your inbox, which cuts down on the amount of time you'd spend combing through ads. Additionally, you can upload up to five versions of your resume—each tailored to different types of jobs that interest you. Recruiters search Monster every day looking to fill top jobs with qualified candidates, just like you.