U.S. payrolls rose by 172,000 in May, much more than expected; unemployment at 4.3%

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: CNBC

Nonfarm Payrolls
U.S. payrolls rose by 172,000 in May, much more than expected; unemployment at 4.3%

Published Fri, Jun 5 2026 8:31 AM EDT Updated 2 Min Ago

Jeff Cox
@jeff.cox.7528
@JeffCoxCNBCcom


SUNRISE, FLORIDA - APRIL 30: Job seekers stand at the recruiting booth for the Florida Panthers during the Mega JobNewsUSA South Florida Job Fair held in the Amerant Bank Arena on April 30, 2026 in Sunrise, Florida. Hiring managers and recruiters for over 100 companies attended the job fair to recruit workers for positions in healthcare, public safety, trades, sales, logistics, government & more. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Job growth unexpectedly surged in May as the U.S. labor market continued a solid year of expansion, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

Nonfarm payrolls jumped a seasonally adjusted 172,000 for the period, down slightly from the upwardly revised 179,000 in April and far above the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 80,000. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, as expected.

The report came against a background of muted expectations as employers have held their ground in a low-hire, low-fire environment. While job gains have been largely concentrated in just a few sectors, layoffs also have been moderate, though some signs are building that artificial intelligence is having an impact on labor rolls.

In recent days, Federal Reserve officials have become more sanguine on the labor picture, turning their attention more to a nettlesome inflation problem that has largely taken the prospect for additional interest rate cuts off the table. The central bank has been in a holding pattern this year after lowering benchmark rates by three-quarters of a percentage point during the latter part of 2025.

{smile}

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/05/jobs-report-may-2026.html

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Jeff Cox at CNBC has been the preferred source for the BLS payroll employment report at DU for several months. I see no reason to change that.

I don't know if the BLS has a Bluesky account. I'll link to that if they do.

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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

‪@usbls.bsky.social‬

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Payroll employment increases by 172,000 in May; unemployment rate unchanged at 4.3% #BLSData www.bls.gov/news.release...
8:30 AM · Jun 5, 2026
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Payroll employment increases by 172,000 in May; unemployment rate unchanged at 4.3% #BLSData www.bls.gov/news.release...

— U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (@usbls.bsky.social) 2026-06-05T12:30:49.570Z

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_06052026.htm