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Analysts See Warning Signs For White-Collar Jobs in Latest Data — Except One Profession
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Markets recently cheered January's jobs report, which showed stronger-than-expected hiring and a lower unemployment rate. But some analysts believe the report highlights a worrying trend that shouldn’t be ignored. Most of January's job gains came from healthcare services, while other key sectors saw significant declines, a trend that should "temper enthusiasm quite a bit," Jefferies Chief U.S. Economist Thomas Simons said in a recent note. "It's hard to get terribly excited when you see pretty significant declines in financial services and trade, transportation and utilities—the kind of stuff you think of as being relatively high-paying jobs," Simons said. The US economy added 130,000 in January, double the 65,000 increase expected by the market, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, while Wall Street expected it at 4.4%. Trending: Most founders obsess over the wrong hires. See the 5 startup roles that actually determine whether a company scales or stalls. Of the total jobs added in January, 82,000 were in healthcare. Ambulatory services led the gains with 50,000 jobs, followed by hospitals with 18,000 and nursing and residential care with 13,000. The biggest declines came in financial services, which lost 22,000 jobs. Other major industries, including manufacturing, retail, information, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality, changed little. The latest jobs data "overstates" labor market strengths, Nancy Vanden Houten, lead economist at Oxford Economics, said in a note. “Most other sectors posted meager job gains or job losses," she said. The federal government continued to shed jobs as did state and local governments." Despite the strong January jobs report, broader concerns about the labor market persist as investors weigh AI-related risks. Job cut announcements in the US in January soared to the highest level since October, according to workforce consulting firm Challenger Gray & Christmas. Executive warnings about the possibility of AI replacing human jobs are increasing by the day. Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman recently made headlines after saying most white-collar office tasks could be fully automated within the next 12 to 18 months. Image: Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga: APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Analysts See Warning Signs For White-Collar Jobs in Latest Data — Except One Profession originally appeared on Benzinga.com © 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.