The September 2026 jobs report, in plain English
Payroll employment changed by 29,000 jobs in September 2026. The unemployment rate was 4.2%.
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4 explainers Ordered by official release date
Payroll employment changed by 29,000 jobs in September 2026. The unemployment rate was 4.2%.
Read the explanationEmployers reported about 7.1 million job openings in August 2026. This is a rounded, seasonally adjusted estimate of vacancies, not people hired.
Read the explanationEmployers added 162,000 payroll jobs in August. The unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%, with much of the hiring gain concentrated in restaurants and local education.
Read the explanationEmployers reported roughly 7.3 million open jobs in July, while hiring and departures were both about 5.1 million.
Read the explanationJuly 2026; openings on the last business day, hires and separations over the month
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics : Job Openings and Labor Turnover — July 2026