Private companies began the new year with more hiring than expected, increasing to a total of 246,000 new jobs in January. Economists were projecting somewhere around 160,000 new jobs following the new Trump Administration and their economic proposals, but many underestimated the optimism surrounding these expected changes. Also, these added jobs were not exclusively tied to the service industry. Around 15,000 manufacturing jobs were added as well as 25,000 in the construction industry, providing a small boost to blue-collar workers across the country.