By Tom Burnett CFA
On May 8, 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Employment Report for April. Total payroll employment rose by 115,000 in the month. The unemployment rate was little changed at 4.3% with 7.4 million job seekers, slightly more than the 6.9 million job openings (latest Jolts report on May 5, 2026). Federal employment declined by 9,000, some 348,000 down from October 2024’s recent peak.
Average hourly earnings for nonfarm payrolls rose $0.06 to $37.41, up 3.6% from a year ago.
Revisions to prior reports totaled a reduction of 16,000 workers.
The next Employment Report will be released on June 5, 2026.
Tom Burnett CFA is Director of Research