U.S. payrolls rose by 57,000 in June; unemployment held at 4.2%
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said U.S. employers added 57,000 jobs in June 2026, while the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.2%.
U.S. employers added 57,000 jobs in June 2026, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.2%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday, July 2.
The official Employment Situation Summary, released under number USDL-26-1125 after an 8:30 a.m. ET embargo, said total nonfarm payroll employment changed little over the month. The number of unemployed people was 7.1 million, also little changed, according to BLS.
Job gains were concentrated in professional and business services, social assistance and health care. Leisure and hospitality employment fell by 61,000, a decline BLS said reflected weaker than usual seasonal hiring.
Key figures
Professional and business services added 36,000 jobs in June and has added 172,000 jobs since a recent low in October 2025, BLS said.
Social assistance added 25,000 jobs, led by a 17,000-job gain in individual and family services. Health care added 22,000 jobs, including 9,000 in hospitals. BLS said health care hiring continued to rise but was below the industry’s average monthly gain of 38,000 over the prior 12 months.
Leisure and hospitality employment declined by 61,000. BLS said the sector has shown little net change so far in 2026.
The labor force participation rate fell 0.3 percentage point to 61.5%. The employment-population ratio edged down 0.2 percentage point to 59.0%.
Long-term unemployed people, defined by BLS as those jobless for 27 weeks or more, numbered 1.9 million in June. That was up 286,000 over the year and represented 27.3% of all unemployed people.
The number of people employed part time for economic reasons was 4.7 million. People not in the labor force who currently wanted a job numbered 6.0 million. BLS also reported 1.8 million marginally attached workers and 477,000 discouraged workers.
Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose 13 cents, or 0.3%, to $37.64. Over the year, average hourly earnings rose 3.5%. For private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees, average hourly earnings rose 7 cents, or 0.2%, to $32.38.
The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 34.3 hours. In manufacturing, the average workweek edged down to 40.3 hours, while overtime edged up to 3.2 hours.
Background and context
BLS said unemployment rates showed little or no change across major worker groups in June. The rate was 3.9% for adult men, 3.7% for adult women and 14.6% for teenagers.
By race and ethnicity, the unemployment rate was 3.6% for White workers, 6.6% for Black workers, 3.9% for Asian workers and 5.2% for Hispanic workers, according to the report.
Employment showed little or no change over the month in several other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; information; financial activities; other services; and government.
What officials said
BLS said both total nonfarm payroll employment and the unemployment rate “changed little” in June. The agency attributed the leisure and hospitality decline to weaker than usual seasonal hiring.
What happens next
The July 2026 Employment Situation report is scheduled for publication on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. ET, according to BLS.
BLS also said it will publish the preliminary 2026 benchmark revision to establishment survey data at 10:00 a.m. ET on Aug. 28, 2026. The final benchmark revision is set to be issued with the January 2027 Employment Situation release in February 2027.
Source: BLS_CPS via Data CommonsSource: BLS_CPS via Data Commons
Sources
Editorial note: This article was prepared with AI assistance and requires editorial review before publication.
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