In a reversal of recent months, the U.S. economy created a surprisingly high 162,000 nonfarm jobs in August, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1%, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The labor force participation rate edged up to 61.6% in August but is down by 0.5 percentage point since January.
In August, employment in manufacturing continued its upward trend (+16,000) and is up by 58,000 from its recent low in December 2025.
Employment in machinery manufacturing (+6,000) and in fabricated metal product manufacturing (+6,000) also continued to rise.
Employment in healthcare grew by 13,000 but at a slower pace than the average monthly gain of 32,000 over the previous 12 months.
In August, jobs in home healthcare services increased by 11,000 and hospital employment rose by 8,000.
Upward revisions were made in both the June and July jobs data. The BLS now says the change in total nonfarm payroll employment for June was revised up by 11,000, from +20,000 to +31,000, and the change for July was revised up by 44,000, from -23,000 to +21,000.
With these revisions, employment in June and July combined is 55,000 higher than previously reported.
