Few Parts of Jobs Report Make Sense wo Alternative Explanations

There are a few parts of the payroll reports that do make sense without requiring alternative interpretation. Among these face value statistics is the estimate for manufacturing payrolls. The BLS figures that employment in the manufacturing sector peaked in July 2015 and has been declining ever so gently since then. Total job losses are just 61k over that year and a half, but compared to the employment estimates in other industries (retail and wholesale, prime examples) it is at least what is surely the correct sign.