A 70,000-job increase in professional and business services accounted for much of October’s U.S. payroll growth, with consulting and temporary help making up about half of that sector’s gain.
Nonfarm payrolls rose by 165,000 in October, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% from 4.2% in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The gain exceeded the 59,000 increase forecast by economists polled by Dow Jones, CNBC reported.
Professional and business services added nearly five times their average monthly gain of 15,000 over the prior 12 months. Management, scientific and technical consulting services gained 17,300 jobs, while temporary help services added 18,600. Together, the two categories accounted for about 51% of the sector’s increase, based on BLS figures.
The payroll data do not identify why employers hired. Gartner forecast worldwide artificial intelligence (AI) spending of $2.7 trillion in 2026, up 49.5% from 2025. Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial, told CNBC that AI investment and companies’ efforts to use the technology could support demand for technical consultants. The spending forecast does not establish that AI drove October’s consulting hires.
CNBC cited both broader labor demand and seasonal preparation for the holidays as possible explanations for temporary hiring. BLS figures do not show employers’ reasons or whether those jobs will last beyond the season. Couriers and messengers added 17,000 jobs in October, according to the agency.
The election calendar offers another possible source of hiring. A BLS historical analysis found political-organization employment peaked in October during even-numbered election years from 2001 through 2014. OpenSecrets projected $11.9 billion in total spending for the 2026 federal midterms, based on campaign-finance disclosures and past cycles. Neither the historical analysis nor the spending projection counts campaign jobs added in October 2026.
BLS revised August payroll growth up by 53,000 jobs and September growth by 31,000, putting the two months’ combined total 84,000 above earlier estimates. The November employment report is scheduled for Dec. 4 at 8:30 a.m. ET.
