U.S. Payrolls Rise by 165,000 in October as Unemployment Rate Holds at 4.1%
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Employment Situation report (USDL-26-1632) on November 6: total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 165,000 in October 2026, and the unemployment rate was 4.1 percent, changed little from prior months.
The October gain was higher than the average monthly gain of 48,000 over the prior 12 months. The unemployment rate has remained in a narrow range of 4.1 to 4.3 percent since March, and the number of unemployed people stood at 7.1 million in October.
By industry, professional and business services added 70,000 jobs, well above its prior-12-month average monthly gain of 15,000; within the sector, professional, scientific, and technical services added 33,000 and administrative and support and waste management services added 28,000. Health care added 42,000 jobs, above its average monthly gain of 31,000, with hospitals adding 16,000 and home health care services 11,000. Transportation and warehousing added 25,000 jobs, including 17,000 in couriers and messengers; manufacturing added 19,000; government added 6,000; leisure and hospitality lost 13,000; and employment showed little change in the other major industries.
Revisions were upward: the August gain was revised up from 133,000 to 186,000, and the September gain from 29,000 to 60,000, leaving employment in August and September combined 84,000 higher than previously reported.
On pay, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 14 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $38.00 in October, up 3.1 percent over the year. The average workweek held at 34.4 hours. The labor force participation rate was 61.9 percent and the employment-population ratio was 59.3 percent, both little changed. The number of long-term unemployed (jobless for 27 weeks or more) was 2.0 million, accounting for 27.6 percent of all unemployed people.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the Employment Situation for November 2026 is scheduled for release on Friday, December 4, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国劳工统计局总部所在地、位于华盛顿的 Postal Square Building。AgnosticPreachersKid 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Postal Square Building in Washington, D.C., headquarters of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
