One chart shows where the jobs will be in November 2024.

• Jobs rebounded in November, with nonfarm payrolls increasing more than expected.
• The economy experienced various sources of job expansion, with health care and social assistance being the top contributors.
• The U.S. economy's employment performance across industries was mixed in October, resulting in gains.

The U.S. economy showed unexpected growth in November, as indicated by the jobs report, with several areas contributing to this expansion.

Last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that health care and social assistance added 72,300 new positions, following their largest contribution in October.

If private education is included in the health-care category, the group's growth would have been even more significant, reaching 79,000.

Last month, leisure and hospitality had the second-largest job growth, with 53,000 positions added. This represents a significant improvement from its October performance. The November gains were driven by the food services and drinking places sector, which saw a 29,000 increase in employment.

Government jobs grew by 33,000 in November, but it was not the second-biggest contributor as it was two months ago. Instead, leisure and hospitality had the second-biggest contribution last month.

In October, manufacturing and professional and business services experienced significant losses due to the Boeing machinist strike and Hurricanes Helene and Milton. However, last month, these categories experienced a notable rebound, with gains of 22,000 and 26,000 jobs, respectively.

Julia Pollak of ZipRecruiter stated that the growth in manufacturing is smaller than she expected, despite some gains in other areas like construction.

The report identified retail trade, which lost 28,000 jobs, as a key weak spot. If other sectors don't improve soon, Pollak predicts that the pace of overall job growth will slow down even more.

"The firm's chief economist stated in an interview that while some people may view the payroll gain as a bounceback, they should not be deceived by the seemingly healthy labor market. The economist explained that the report was inflated by the return of workers following strikes and storms, and that the underlying strength of the labor market was actually overstated."

In November, the financial activities sector experienced a gain of 17,000 jobs, according to Pollak.

"Financial institutions are becoming increasingly optimistic and enthusiastic about a Trump administration, which is expected to ease financial regulations and adopt a more favorable stance on mergers and acquisitions," she stated. "As a result, we are witnessing more hiring and optimism in certain sectors."