US Employers Add 115,000 Jobs in April as Unemployment Rate Holds at 4.3%

U.S. employers added 115,000 jobs in April 2026, far surpassing economists' projection of about 55,000 new jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 3 percent, matching what economists had forecast.

One day before the report, the Labor Department said 200,000 people filed for weekly unemployment benefits, a slight increase from the week before. Job gains were concentrated in healthcare, transportation and warehousing, retail, and social assistance. Those four industries added 106,000 jobs combined in April.

Federal government employment and the information sector recorded losses for the month. Federal government employment is down 348,000 since November 2024. The new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics included revisions to previous job figures.

Last month, employers added 185,000 jobs, well above economists' expectation of about 70,000. S. lost 156,000 jobs. That figure was initially reported as a drop of 92,000 jobs.

The revisions paint a more volatile picture of the labor market in the months preceding the April data. Private employers added 109,000 jobs in April 2026, the largest increase since January 2025, according to ADP. Professional industries lost 8,000 jobs during the month.

Healthcare continued to fuel growth along with modest increases in construction, trade, transportation and utilities. " President Trump wished a happy Mother’s Day especially to those who found a job in the 115,000 US jobs added in the April jobs report.

” She noted that large companies have resources to deploy while small ones are the most nimble, both important advantages in a complex labor environment.

A series of major changes over the last year – tariffs, government layoffs, changing immigration policies and, now, rising oil prices amid conflict in the Middle East – have destabilized the labor market. The US-Israel war on Iran continues to drive economic uncertainty. The US Federal Reserve cited slow job growth among several factors in its decision to keep rates steady last month.