Latest jobs report is a tale of two sectors

As manufacturing struggles, demand for professional skilled service workers rising

The latest employment report shows a continued loss of manufacturing jobs paired with an expansion of service sector industries like education and health care. Education and health services added 43,000 jobs in December, professional and business services added 50,000, leisure and hospitality employment rose by 31,000 and financial firms added 9,000 new jobs.

Meanwhile the nation's factories shed 12,000 positions last month and construction companies eliminated 3,000 jobs as the housing and auto markets remain mired in a slump. Retailers shed just over 9,000 slots.