Release guide
Jobs report (Employment Situation)
Latest · 2026-09-01
| Payrolls change | +29k |
| Unemployment rate | 4.20% |
| Avg hourly earnings y/y | 3.02% |
Schedule
Published monthly by the BLS, usually the first Friday, at 8:30 a.m. ET.
How to read it
The BLS Employment Situation report combines the establishment survey (payrolls, earnings) and the household survey (unemployment rate).
- Payroll change is the headline; prior two months are revised in each report.
- The unemployment rate comes from a separate survey and can diverge from payrolls.
- Average hourly earnings y/y signals wage pressure relevant to inflation.
- Revisions can outweigh the headline surprise; read them together.
Last 24 readings
| Month | Payrolls change | Unemployment rate | Avg hourly earnings y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09 | +29k | 4.20% | 3.02% |
| 2026-08 | +133k | 4.10% | 3.11% |
| 2026-07 | -10k | 4.10% | 3.21% |
| 2026-06 | +31k | 4.20% | 3.38% |
| 2026-05 | +63k | 4.30% | 3.34% |
| 2026-04 | +148k | 4.30% | 3.57% |
| 2026-03 | +214k | 4.30% | 3.43% |
| 2026-02 | -156k | 4.40% | 3.70% |
| 2026-01 | +160k | 4.30% | 3.66% |
| 2025-12 | -17k | 4.40% | 3.73% |
| 2025-11 | +41k | 4.50% | 3.93% |
| 2025-10 | -140k | — | 3.92% |
| 2025-09 | +76k | 4.40% | 3.85% |
| 2025-08 | -70k | 4.30% | 3.98% |
| 2025-07 | +64k | 4.30% | 3.96% |
| 2025-06 | -20k | 4.10% | 3.86% |
| 2025-05 | +13k | 4.30% | 3.98% |
| 2025-04 | +108k | 4.20% | 3.91% |
| 2025-03 | +67k | 4.20% | 4.21% |
| 2025-02 | +42k | 4.20% | 4.11% |
| 2025-01 | -48k | 4.00% | 3.97% |
| 2024-12 | +237k | 4.10% | 4.08% |
| 2024-11 | +134k | 4.20% | 4.18% |
| 2024-10 | +33k | 4.10% | 4.05% |
Data: PAYEMS (last observation 2026-09-01), UNRATE (last observation 2026-09-01), CES0500000003 (last observation 2026-09-01), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED). Retrieved 2026-10-16. Data shown is the current vintage and may include revisions.