The US labor market delivered a genuine surprise just ahead of the Labor Day weekend, as the latest US August payrolls report blew past nearly every economist’s forecast and offered a jolt of relief after months of sluggish hiring. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said nonfarm payrolls rose by 162,000 in August 2026, a number that dwarfed the roughly 56,000 gain that forecasters had penciled in and marked a sharp reversal from a jobless summer stretch that had rattled confidence in the broader economy.
Key takeaways
US nonfarm payrolls jumped by 162,000 in August 2026, far above the roughly 56,000 gain economists had expected.
The unemployment rate held at 4.1%, exactly matching forecasts.
Average hourly earnings climbed 3.1% year over year, topping the 3.0% forecast, and rose 0.3% month over month, in line with projections.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics revised July’s previously reported 23,000 job loss into a 21,000 gain, and bumped June’s 20,000 gain up to 31,000.
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