U.S. Job Growth Beats Expectations in October: Sector ETFs in Focus Sanghamitra Saha Mon, November 9, 2026 at 8:00 AM EST 2 min read ^DJI -0.46% The U.S. labor market showed unexpected resilience in October, with employers adding significantly more jobs than economists had anticipated. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 165,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis, far exceeding the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 59,000 (per CNBC), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The unemployment rate edged down to 4.1% from the previous month's level, beating expectations of 4.2%, per the same CNBC article. Earlier employment figures were also revised upward, reinforcing the picture of a stronger labor market. August payroll growth was revised up by 53,000 to 186,000, while September's figure was increased by 31,000 to 60,000.
Wage growth provided another indication of labor market resilience. Average hourly earnings rose 0.4% month over month and 3.1% year over year, surpassing economists' respective estimates of 0.3% and 2.9%.
The strength of hiring was also spread across several industries rather than being concentrated in healthcare. Professional and business services led job creation, adding 70,000 positions. Healthcare followed with 42,000 new jobs, while transportation and warehousing added 25,000. Manufacturing employment increased by 19,000.
Health care employment has been an area of strength. Health care employment added 42,000 jobs in October. The job growth is higher than the average monthly gain of 31,000 over the prior one year. In October, employment gains occurred in hospitals (+16,000), home health care services (+11,000), and outpatient care centers (+5,000).
Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF XLV can be played to tap the moderate momentum. The fund has 37% exposure to the pharma industry, followed by 18.8% exposure to the health care equipment & supplies, about 18.4% focus on biotechnology, 16.65% exposure to the healthcare providers & services industry, and 8.8% focus on the life sciences tools & services.
Employment in the sector added 25,000 in October, thanks to growth in couriers and messengers (+17,000) and air transportation (+4,000). The transportation and warehousing sector has added 104,000 jobs since a recent employment low in February, with couriers and messengers (+71,000) contributing most of the gain.
iShares U.S. Transportation ETF IYT can thus be considered for a play. The fund measures the performance of companies from the Industrial Transportation, Airline and General Industrial Services industries of the U.S. equity market.
Manufacturing added 19,000 jobs in October, as production and industrial activity show resilience alongside broader economic expansion. The sector employment has increased by 101,000 since a recent low in December 2025.
In October, job gains occurred in computer and electronic product manufacturing (+7,000), machinery manufacturing (+4,000), and primary metal manufacturing (+4,000).
Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF XLI offers exposure to the industrial sector, covering machinery, defense, and manufacturing equipment leaders.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
