Jobs report January 2026:
A “Now Hiring” sign walks past recruiters talking to job seekers during the WorkSource North Seattle Career Fair on Tuesday, February 10, 2026 in Seattle, Washington, United States.
David Ryder | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The fact that employment growth was stronger than expected at the beginning of 2026 somewhat eased concerns about the state of the US labor market.
Non-farm payrolls It rose 130,000 in January, above the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 55,000, according to seasonally adjusted figures released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The total was an improvement compared to December, when there was an increase of 48,000, following a slight downward revision.
The unemployment rate remained unchanged compared to the previous month, falling to 4.3%, below the forecast of remaining at 4.4%. A broader measure that includes discouraged workers and those in part-time positions for economic reasons fell 0.4 points from December to 8%.
Markets rose and stock market futures rose following the news. Treasury yields also posted strong gains.
The report, delayed by almost a week due to the partial government shutdown that ended Feb. 3, was consistent with the labor market being in low-growth mode but with only scattered signs that layoffs were increasing.
In addition to the monthly numbers, the BLS has released final benchmark revisions for the year leading up to March 2025. These saw initial numbers revised down to a total decline of 898,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis. That was slightly lower than the initial estimate of 911,000 last September, but was around Wall Street expectations.
As is often the case in the U.S. labor market, healthcare led the job gains, adding 82,000 positions in December. Social assistance also increased by 42,000; as these two categories accounted for almost all of the net employment. Construction gained $33,000 after a year in which the industry saw little growth.
Losses were recorded in various categories.
Federal government jobs fell by 34,000 last year because of layoffs but accepted deferred resignations dropped from the payroll count due to Department of Government Productivity cuts, the BLS said. Financial activities saw a decrease of 22,000.
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