US employers in professional and business services added 70,000 jobs in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly jobs report, published on 6 November (BLS). That was far above the sector’s average monthly gain of 15,000 over the previous 12 months, and the sector has now added 269,000 jobs since a low point in October 2025. Within it, professional, scientific and technical services added 33,000.
Across the whole economy, payrolls rose by 165,000 and the unemployment rate held at 4.1%.
The figures matter because these are the office jobs most often described as exposed to AI tools that write, analyse and summarise. Andrew Flowers, chief economist at the recruitment technology firm Appcast, told Marketplace it was “a real reversal of the white collar bloodbath we’ve seen over the past few years.” Bill Driscoll of the recruiter Robert Half said employers that once expected AI to replace staff now want people who can work with it.
One month does not settle the question. The jobs report does not say what role, if any, AI played, and monthly figures are often revised. But it is a useful check on claims that AI job losses in office work are already happening at scale.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics