LemonTradesUnemployment and the jobs report
The US unemployment rate and payrolls from the latest jobs report, how they’ve moved over the last year and a half, and when the next report comes out.
- Wages, past year
- +3.0%
- Participation
- 61.8%
- U-6 (broad)
- 7.6%
- Jobs, last 3 months
- +51K a month
- A year earlier
- 4.4%
- Fed funds rate
- 3.75%–4.00%
The last 18 months
| Month | Jobs added | Unemployment rate | Wages, past year |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | +29K | 4.2% | +3.0% |
| August 2026 | +133K | 4.1% | +3.1% |
| July 2026 | −10K | 4.1% | +3.2% |
| June 2026 | +31K | 4.2% | +3.4% |
| May 2026 | +63K | 4.3% | +3.3% |
| April 2026 | +148K | 4.3% | +3.6% |
| March 2026 | +214K | 4.3% | +3.4% |
| February 2026 | −156K | 4.4% | +3.7% |
| January 2026 | +160K | 4.3% | +3.7% |
| December 2025 | −17K | 4.4% | +3.7% |
| November 2025 | +41K | 4.5% | +3.9% |
| October 2025 | −140K | – | +3.9% |
| September 2025 | +76K | 4.4% | +3.8% |
| August 2025 | −70K | 4.3% | +4.0% |
| July 2025 | +64K | 4.3% | +4.0% |
| June 2025 | −20K | 4.1% | +3.9% |
| May 2025 | +13K | 4.3% | +4.0% |
| April 2025 | +108K | 4.2% | +3.9% |
Nonfarm payrolls and the unemployment rate from the BLS Employment Situation report, seasonally adjusted, with revisions. Wages are average hourly earnings of all private employees.
Next jobs reports
| Friday, November 6, 20268:30 AM ET | October 2026 report |
| Friday, December 4, 20268:30 AM ET | November 2026 report |
| Friday, January 8, 20278:30 AM ET | December 2026 report |
| Friday, February 5, 20278:30 AM ET | January 2027 report |
10-year 5.146% +6 bp · Dollar −0.10% · Gold −1.17% · S&P 500 futures −0.63%
How the jobs report moves markets
- Strong jobs, rising wages: the Fed is likelier to keep rates high, so the dollar and Treasury yields rise and gold and stocks often fall.
- Weak jobs: rate cuts look closer, so yields and the dollar fall and gold usually rises; stocks can go either way, depending on whether investors fear a recession.
- Revisions matter: the report also revises the two previous months, sometimes by more than the new number.
Jobs news
- Wed 11:39 PM
- Wed 6:53 PM
- Wed 1:04 PM
- Wed 12:40 PM
- Wed 11:17 AM
- Wed 8:35 AM
Questions
What is the unemployment rate right now?
4.2% in September 2026, from the latest BLS jobs report.
When is the next jobs report?
Friday, November 6, 2026, at 8:30 AM ET, covering October 2026.
What’s the difference between the jobs number and the unemployment rate?
They come from two surveys: payrolls count jobs at about 120,000 businesses; the unemployment rate comes from a survey of about 60,000 households.
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