Employment Situation
Economy
Jobs
Nonfarm payrolls, unemployment, labor-force participation, wages, and JOLTS — the monthly jobs picture.
The monthly Employment Situation report is the single most-watched data release on the U.S. economic calendar. This page visualizes the pieces that matter most: nonfarm payrolls by sector, unemployment and labor-force participation, average hourly earnings, and JOLTS (job openings, hires, and quits). Together they describe how tight the labor market is and where wage pressure is coming from.
Household Survey (CPS): Labor Force Data
Conducted by the Census Bureau and BLS, this survey provides data on individuals in the civilian labor force.
- Conducted by the Census Bureau & BLS via household interviews.
- Measures unemployment rate, labor force participation, and employment-population ratio.
- Focuses on individuals rather than jobs.
Employment
U.S. Unemployment Rate
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rate/Total Unemployed, Plus All Persons Marginally Attached to the Labor Force, Plus Total Employed Part Time for Economic Reasons, as a Percent of the Civilian Labor Force Plus All Persons Marginally Attached to the Labor Force (U-6) retrieved from FRED.
- The Unemployment Rate Average Since 2000 is NA` %.
Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims
- Source: U.S. Employment and Training Administration, 4-Week Moving Average of Continued Claims (Insured Unemployment)/4-Week Moving Average of Initial Claims, retrieved from FRED.
Monthly Change in Jobs
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Employees, Total Nonfarm, retrieved from FRED.
- YTD, the economy has added 321,000 jobs to the economy.
- Total Nonfarm Payrolls: All Employees, Total in Thousands, a key economic indicator published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of the Employment Situation Report.
Jobs Per Unemployed Person
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings: Total Nonfarm/ Unemployment Level, retrieved from FRED.
BLS Job Categories
Jobs by Category Over Time
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Employees, retrieved from FRED.
Jobs by Category
| Monthly Change in Jobs | |
| Name | Amount |
|---|---|
| Education & Health Services | 91,000 |
| Leisure & Hospitality | 44,000 |
| Trade, Transport, & Util. | 33,000 |
| Construction | 26,000 |
| Manufacturing | 15,000 |
| Mining & Logging | 2,000 |
| Prof. Business Services | 2,000 |
| Information | −3,000 |
| Government | −8,000 |
| Other Services | −9,000 |
| Financial Activities | −15,000 |
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Employees, retrieved from FRED.
ADP Job Categories
- Most Recent Monthly Change Amount
| ADP Weekly Change in Jobs by Category | |
| Name | Amount |
|---|---|
| Education & Health Services | 15,000 |
| Information | 4,000 |
| Financial Activities | 1,000 |
| Natural Resources & Mining | 1,000 |
| Other Services | 1,000 |
| Leisure & Hospitality | 0 |
| Manufacturing | −1,000 |
| Trade, Transportation & Utilities | −1,000 |
| Professional & Business Services | −6,000 |
- Source: Automatic Data Processing, Inc., Nonfarm Private Payroll Employment, retrieved from FRED.
Supplemental Notes
Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims
- Continued Claims: 4-Week Moving Average – This tracks the average number of people who continue to receive unemployment benefits over the past four weeks, smoothing out short-term fluctuations.
- See Supplemental notes for more information.
- Continued claims, also referred to as insured unemployment, is the number of people who have already filed an initial claim and who have experienced a week of unemployment and then filed a continued claim to claim benefits for that week of unemployment. Continued claims data are based on the week of unemployment, not the week when the initial claim was filed.
- An initial claim is a claim filed by an unemployed individual after a separation from an employer. The claim requests a determination of basic eligibility for the Unemployment Insurance program.
- Initial Claims: 4-Week Moving Average – This measures the average number of new people filing for unemployment benefits each week over the last four weeks, helping to show trends in job losses.
- Document Build: 01:19 PM, May 04, 2026