Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 222,000 in June, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.4% the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Employment increased in health care, social assistance, financial activities and mining.

In June, the unemployment rate, at 4.4%, and the number of unemployed persons, at 7.0 million, were little changed. Since January, the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed are down by 0.4% and 658,000, respectively. Employment growth has averaged 180,000 per month thus far this year, in line with the average monthly gain of 187,000 in 2016.

In June, health care added 37,000 jobs. Employment increased in ambulatory health care services (26,000) and hospitals (12,000). Health care has added an average of 24,000 jobs per month in the first half of 2017, compared with a monthly average of 32,000 jobs in 2016.

Employment in financial activities rose by 17,000 in June and has grown by 169,000 over the year. Securities, commodity contracts and investments added 5,000 jobs over the month.

In June, mining employment grew by 8,000, with most of the growth in support activities for mining (7,000). Since a recent employment low in October 2016, mining has added 56,000 jobs.

Employment in professional and business services continued to trend up in June (35,000) and has grown by 624,000 over the last 12 months.

Employment in other major industries, including construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information and government, showed little change over the month.