Catenaa, Wednesday, February 11, 2026- The US added 130,000 jobs in January, making a strong start for the year above market expectations after a year that the job market suffered.
The January numbers from the Labor Department were above the seasonally adjusted 48,000 jobs added in December, which were revised slightly lower. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal were expecting 55,000 jobs in January.
The unemployment rate, which is based on a separate survey from the jobs figures, fell to 4.3% from 4.4%.
The Labor Department on Wednesday also sharply cut prior job numbers stretching back nearly two years, the product of previously scheduled revisions.
The net result: the US produced only 1.2 million jobs in 2024, versus the previously estimated 2 million. The labor market slowed even more to add just 181,000 jobs last year, versus the previously estimated 584,000.
The US job market has been defined for months by companies holding off on new hires, but not slashing jobs en masse.
The situation has made it harder for young graduates to find a foothold and left many unemployed Americans stuck in long, often fruitless job searches.
There have been some high-profile job cuts recently, however, as companies look to reverse the pandemic-era hiring boom. Amazon and UPS both announced big job cuts last month.
Rising costs and the uncertainty surrounding President Trump’s shifting tariff policies have made companies hesitant to add employees.
Some businesses are refraining from adding staff as they explore whether artificial intelligence could take on more tasks.
The White House’s deportation efforts have also made it hard for some businesses to find workers.
At the same time, workers aren’t job-hopping for better opportunities the way they would in a more robust labor market, leaving less room for new hiring.
