U.S. employers added 57,000 jobs in June as unemployment held at 4.2 percent

The U.S. economy added 57,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate held at 4.2 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on July 2. The payroll gain trailed the 115,000 that economists surveyed by Dow Jones had expected, according to CNBC, and it came in below the two prior months.

BLS released the report a day ahead of its usual first-Friday schedule because of the July 3 federal holiday for Independence Day.

Payrolls and revisions

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 57,000 in June, which BLS said was roughly in line with the average monthly gain of 36,000 over the prior 12 months. The agency revised the two earlier months lower. April fell to 148,000 from 179,000, and May fell to 129,000 from 172,000. Together those revisions cut 74,000 jobs from what had been reported. BLS attributes monthly revisions to additional reports from employers and government agencies and to recalculated seasonal factors.

Where the jobs were, and were not

Professional and business services added 36,000 jobs, and BLS said the sector has gained 172,000 since a low in October 2025. Social assistance added 25,000, most of it in individual and family services. Health care added 22,000, below its 38,000 monthly average over the prior year, with hospitals accounting for 9,000.

Leisure and hospitality lost 61,000 jobs, which BLS attributed to weaker than usual seasonal hiring. The agency said employment in that sector has shown little net change so far in 2026. BLS reported little or no change over the month in mining, construction, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information, financial activities, other services, and government.

The household survey

The number of unemployed people was 7.1 million. The labor force participation rate fell by 0.3 percentage point to 61.5 percent, and the employment-population ratio edged down 0.2 point to 59.0 percent. The number of people jobless for 27 weeks or more was 1.9 million, up 286,000 over the year, and made up 27.3 percent of the unemployed. About 4.7 million people were working part time who said they wanted full-time work.

Wages and hours

Average hourly earnings for private-sector workers rose 13 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $37.64, and were up 3.5 percent over the year. The average workweek was unchanged at 34.3 hours.

Markets and the Fed

Stock futures rose after the release and the 2-year Treasury yield fell about 3.5 basis points to 4.13 percent, CNBC reported, as traders took September off the list of dates they saw as likely for a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase. The Federal Reserve, which sets rates against its goals for both employment and prices, watches the monthly report closely.

What comes next

BLS is scheduled to publish the July employment report on August 7. On August 28 it will release a preliminary estimate of its annual benchmark revision, which measures payroll estimates against unemployment insurance tax records. BLS said the official establishment-survey figures are not updated based on that preliminary estimate.