Transmission of material in this news release is embargoed until USDL-26-0786
8:30 a.m. (ET) Friday, June 5, 2026
Technical information:
Household data: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps
Establishment data: (202) 691-6555 * cesinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/ces
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION - MAY 2026
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 172,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was
unchanged at 4.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains
occurred in leisure and hospitality, local government, and health care. Employment in
financial activities declined.
This news release presents statistics from two monthly surveys. The household survey measures
labor force status, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics. The establishment
survey measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. For more information
about the concepts and statistical methodology used in these two surveys, see the Technical
Note.
Household Survey Data
The major labor market indicators from the survey of households continued to show little or no
change in May. The unemployment rate held at 4.3 percent and has remained in a narrow range of
4.3 percent to 4.5 percent since July 2025. The number of unemployed people, at 7.3 million,
changed little over the month. (See table A-1.)
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates showed little or no change in May for
adult men (4.0 percent), adult women (3.8 percent), teenagers (14.7 percent), and people who
are White (3.8 percent), Black (6.6 percent), Asian (3.8 percent), or Hispanic (5.0 percent).
(See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
The number of people jobless less than 5 weeks declined by 286,000 to 2.2 million in May,
largely offsetting an increase in the prior month. The number of long-term unemployed (those
jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed over the month at 2.0 million but is up by
524,000 over the year. The long-term unemployed accounted for 27.5 percent of all unemployed
people in May. (See table A-12.)
The labor force participation rate held at 61.8 percent in May, and the employment-population
ratio changed little at 59.2 percent. These measures showed little change over the year, after
accounting for annual population control adjustments. (See table A-1.)
The number of people employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.8 million, changed little
in May. These individuals would have preferred full-time employment but were working part time
because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs. (See table
A-8.)
In May, the number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job changed little at
6.2 million. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively
looking for work during the 4 weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job.
(See table A-1.)
Among those not in the labor force who wanted a job, the number of people marginally attached
to the labor force changed little at 1.7 million in May. These individuals wanted and were
available for work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months but had not looked
for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged workers, a subset of
the marginally attached who believed that no jobs were available for them, was 486,000 in May,
essentially unchanged from the previous month. (See Summary table A.)
Establishment Survey Data
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 172,000 in May, similar to the gain of 179,000
in April. In May, job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, local government, and health
care. Employment in financial activities declined. (See table B-1.)
Leisure and hospitality added 70,000 jobs in May, well above the average monthly gain of
14,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, food services and drinking places added
48,000 jobs.
In May, employment in local government rose by 55,000, largely reflecting a gain in local
government, excluding education (+44,000).
Health care added 35,000 jobs in May, in line with the average monthly gain of 38,000 over the
prior 12 months. Over the month, ambulatory health care services added 26,000 jobs, including
a gain of 11,000 in home health care services. Employment continued to trend up in hospitals
(+6,000).
Social assistance employment continued to trend up in May (+12,000), mostly in individual and
family services (+10,000). Over the prior 12 months, social assistance had added an average of
17,000 jobs per month.
Employment in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction increased by 5,000 in May and is
up by 10,000 since February.
Financial activities employment declined by 22,000 in May and is down by 107,000 since a
recent peak in May 2025. Over the month, job losses occurred in insurance carriers and related
activities (-11,000) and commercial banking (-3,000).
Employment in transportation and warehousing was essentially unchanged in May (+1,000) but is
down by 92,000 since reaching a peak in February 2025. Over the month, transit and ground
passenger transportation (+9,000) and warehousing and storage (+6,000) added jobs. Air
transportation lost 9,000 jobs, largely reflecting a business closure.
Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including
construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, information, professional and
business services, and other services.
In May, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 12
cents, or 0.3 percent, to $37.53. Over the year, average hourly earnings have increased by
3.4 percent. In May, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory
employees rose by 8 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $32.31. (See tables B-3 and B-8.)
The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 34.3
hours in May. In manufacturing, the average workweek was unchanged at 40.4 hours, and
overtime edged up to 3.1 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory
employees on private nonfarm payrolls remained at 33.8 hours. (See tables B-2 and B-7.)
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for March was revised up by 29,000, from
+185,000 to +214,000, and the change for April was revised up by 64,000, from +115,000 to
+179,000. With these revisions, employment in March and April combined is 93,000 higher than
previously reported. (Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from
businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the
recalculation of seasonal factors.)
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The Employment Situation for June is scheduled to be released on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at
8:30 a.m. (ET).
United States Department of Labor
