Employment in advertising, public relations and related services jumped by 3,000 jobs in September, the strongest growth in a year.

Overall U.S. employment rose by 336,000 jobs in September, the biggest gain since January, according to the monthly employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

September’s U.S. job increase came in at nearly double what economists had predicted and marked 33 consecutive months of job gains.

The report underscores a robust and tight labor market and an economy that keeps humming despite a constant stream of headlines about layoffs in sectors from technology to retail to financial services.

The unemployment rate, based on a separate survey of households, held steady at 3.8% in September.

Below, Ad Age Datacenter breaks down the report—by the numbers.

Advertising, PR and related services

U.S. employment in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classification of advertising, public relations and related services came in at 502,100 jobs in September based on seasonally adjusted figures. 

That puts ad employment at its highest level since November 2000. That was back in the dot-com bubble, when a surfeit of internet startups shoveled money into advertising using a cash windfall from venture capital and initial public offerings.

The ad market added 3,000 jobs in September, an increase from August’s gain of 1,400 jobs and the biggest monthly increase since summer 2022.

BLS downwardly revised the August figure from a gain of 2,900 jobs reported a month ago. It also downwardly revised the July figure to a gain of 400 jobs, vs. the 700 jobs increase reported a month ago.

This BLS jobs bucket includes ad agencies, PR agencies and related services such as media buying, media reps, outdoor advertising, direct mail and other services related to advertising. Ad agencies account for the biggest portion—about 47%—of those jobs.

Ad employment weakened last fall, dropping in three of four months from last September through December. But the ad business found new momentum this year, with staffing increases every month this year except for March. 

These ad employment gains came despite cutbacks this year at media companies and ad-centric tech firms.

Employment in the broad BLS classification of media streaming distribution services, social networks and other media networks and content providers fell to 229,200 jobs in August on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, down 3,600 jobs from July. Staffing in that sector is at its lowest level since 2018.

Employment in the classification of web search portals and all other information services edged up by 200 jobs to 162,400 jobs in August on a non-seasonally adjusted basis. Staffing remains well below its all-time high of 171,900 jobs last January.

Ad agencies

U.S. ad agency employment declined slightly to 233,900 jobs in August, down 300 jobs for the month on a non-seasonally adjusted basis. That followed a gain of 1,600 jobs in July, when ad agency employment reached an all-time high.

Some agencies are tightening their headcount, including a disclosure this week of 41 layoffs at Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Deutsch New York.

BLS reports ad agency employment on a one-month lag, so September figures aren’t yet available. But the robust September increase in advertising, public relations and related services employment suggests that ad agency staffing rose last month.

Unemployment rate

The U.S. unemployment rate, based on a separate survey of households, held at 3.8% in September, even with August’s rate. 

The jobless rate has been 4.0% or lower every month since December 2021, an extended stretch of unusually low unemployment not seen since the 1960s. (The unemployment rate stayed within the range of 3.4% to 4.0% from December 1965 through January 1970.)

U.S. employment

The nation in September added 336,000 jobs based on seasonally adjusted figures, almost double what economists had been expecting.
 
BLS said the economy gained 227,000 jobs in August (upwardly revised from 187,000 jobs reported a month ago).

BLS said 236,000 jobs were added in July (upwardly revised from 157,000 jobs reported a month ago).

BLS monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.

Following an unprecedented loss of 20.5 million jobs in April 2020 as the nation locked down in the coronavirus pandemic, the economy has added jobs every month except for December 2020.

Total U.S. employment (156.9 million jobs in September) has recovered all of its pandemic losses, topping its February 2020 pre-pandemic peak (152.4 million) to reach a new all-time high.

The World Health Organization in January 2020 declared the coronavirus outbreak a global public health emergency and in March 2020 classified COVID-19 as a pandemic. The group’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in May 2023 determined that “COVID-19 is now an established and ongoing health issue which no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.”

Ad Age Datacenter subscribers can see an expanded table showing advertising employment back to 2000 at AdAge.com/adjobs.

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