US employers added just 57,000 new jobs in June, lower than expected
Key takeaways
- US employers added just 57,000 new jobs in June, lower than expected Gaya Gupta in Washington Thu, July 2, 2026 at 8:21 PM GMT+7 3 min read.
- The country's unemployment rate dropped slightly to 4.2%, but the number of unemployed people changed little, according to the latest data, as 720,000 people left the labor force.
- The figures also remain much higher than the sluggish growth seen last fall and winter.
US employers added just 57,000 new jobs in June, lower than expected Gaya Gupta in Washington Thu, July 2, 2026 at 8:21 PM GMT+7 3 min read. A hiring sign for sales professionals is displayed at a store in Vernon Hills, Illinois, on 15 April 2026.Photograph: Nam Y Huh/AP US job growth slowed in June as employers added 57,000 new jobs – just about half of what economists had predicted – and the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised its figures from the past two months down by a total of 74,000.
The country's unemployment rate dropped slightly to 4.2%, but the number of unemployed people changed little, according to the latest data, as 720,000 people left the labor force. The bureau revised the unexpectedly high May figures from 172,000 new jobs to 129,000, and revised the April figures from 179,000 to 148,000.
Though the numbers fell short of economists's expectations, the average number of jobs added in the last three months was about 111,000, indicating a relatively strong job market despite economic uncertainty and higher inflation brought on by the war in the Middle East. The figures also remain much higher than the sluggish growth seen last fall and winter.