August Jobs Report: 162,000 Jobs Added, Unemployment Holds at 4.1%

NewsData.io · United States · Sep 5, 2026

The U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs in August on a seasonally adjusted basis, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.1%, according to the Labor Department. Job gains were broad-based, touching leisure and hospitality, construction, professional services, and manufacturing, though wage growth slowed to 3.1% year-over-year — the weakest pace since the pandemic. Robert Half operational president Dawn Fay noted businesses have grown accustomed to uncertainty and are no longer pausing hiring as they once did. Pockets of weakness persist, including job losses in information and financial sectors, a rising share of long-term unemployed, and reduced work authorization for temporary protected status holders.