Legal sector outpaced US jobs growth in September

By David Thomas

Oct 2 (Reuters) - The US legal sector reached another record employment high in September, even as job growth across the broader economy slowed more than expected last month, according to new figures released Friday by the US Department of Labor.

Here are the details:

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 1,249,000 legal sector jobs in September, including lawyers, paralegals, judges and legal assistants, up 2,000 jobs from August and 7.6% higher than five years earlier

• US employers overall added just 29,000 ​jobs last month, the Labor Department reported Friday, fewer than the 90,000 that economists had expected

• The US finance sector, which is larger and an important source of income for law firms, lost 7,000 jobs last month. That sector has shrunk by 129,000 jobs since peaking in May 2025

(Reporting by David Thomas)