Transmission of material in this news release is embargoed until USDL-25-1487
8:30 a.m. (ET) Thursday, November 20, 2025
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 -- SEPTEMBER 2025
Total nonfarm payroll employment edged up by 119,000 in September but has shown little change since
April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The unemployment rate, at 4.4 percent,
changed little in September. Employment continued to trend up in health care, food services and
drinking places, and social assistance. Job losses occurred in transportation and warehousing and
in federal government.
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.
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| |
| Federal Government Shutdown |
| |
| Publication of September data was delayed by more than 6 weeks because of a lapse in federal |
| appropriations. Collection of September data for the household survey had been completed in |
| accordance with our normal schedule prior to the federal government shutdown. September |
| estimates from the establishment survey include both data collected on our normal schedule |
| prior to the shutdown and also September data that businesses self-reported electronically |
| during the shutdown. As a result, the establishment survey collection rate (80.2 percent) for |
| this initial release of September 2025 data is higher than usual. |
| |
| BLS will not publish an October 2025 Employment Situation news release. Establishment survey |
| data for October 2025 will be published with the November 2025 data. Household survey data were |
| not collected for the October 2025 reference period due to a lapse in appropriations and will |
| not be collected retroactively. For both surveys, the collection period for November 2025 data |
| will be extended, and extra processing time will be needed. The Employment Situation news |
| release for November 2025 is scheduled to be published on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at 8:30 |
| a.m. (ET). |
|_________________________________________________________________________________________________|
Household Survey Data
Both the unemployment rate, at 4.4 percent, and the number of unemployed people, at 7.6 million,
changed little in September. These measures are higher than a year earlier, when the jobless rate
was 4.1 percent, and the number of unemployed people was 6.9 million. (See table A-1.)
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult women (4.2 percent) and Asians (4.4
percent) increased in September. The jobless rates for adult men (4.0 percent), teenagers (13.2
percent), Whites (3.8 percent), Blacks (7.5 percent), and Hispanics (5.5 percent) showed little or
no change over the month. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) changed little at 1.8
million in September. The long-term unemployed accounted for 23.6 percent of all unemployed people.
(See table A-12.)
The labor force participation rate, at 62.4 percent, changed little over the month and over the
year. The employment-population ratio, at 59.7 percent, also changed little in September but was
down by 0.4 percentage point over the year. (See table A-1.)
The number of people employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.6 million, changed little in
September. 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.)
The number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job decreased by 421,000 to 5.9
million in September. 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 September. 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, also changed little over
the month at 557,000. (See Summary table A.)
Establishment Survey Data
Total nonfarm payroll employment edged up by 119,000 in September but has shown little change since
April. In September, employment continued to trend up in health care, food services and drinking
places, and social assistance. Job losses occurred in transportation and warehousing and in federal
government. (See table B-1.)
In September, health care added 43,000 jobs, about the same as the average monthly gain of 42,000
over the prior 12 months. Over the month, employment gains occurred in ambulatory health care
services (+23,000) and hospitals (+16,000).
Employment in food services and drinking places continued to trend up in September (+37,000).
In September, social assistance employment continued to trend up (+14,000), reflecting continued
job growth in individual and family services (+20,000).
Employment in transportation and warehousing declined by 25,000 in September as job losses occurred
in warehousing and storage (-11,000) and couriers and messengers (-7,000).
Federal government employment continued to decline in September (-3,000) and is down by 97,000
since reaching a peak in January. (Employees on paid leave or receiving ongoing severance pay are
counted as employed in the establishment survey.)
Employment showed little or no change over the month in other major industries, including mining,
quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade;
information; financial activities; professional and business services; and other services.
Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 9 cents, or 0.2
percent, to $36.67 in September. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by
3.8 percent. In September, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory
employees rose by 8 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $31.53. (See tables B-3 and B-8.)
In September, the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at
34.2 hours. In manufacturing, the average workweek changed little at 39.9 hours, and overtime was
unchanged at 2.9 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private
nonfarm payrolls edged up by 0.1 hour to 33.7 hours in September. (See tables B-2 and B-7.)
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for July was revised down by 7,000, from +79,000 to
+72,000, and the change for August was revised down by 26,000, from +22,000 to -4,000. With these
revisions, employment in July and August combined is 33,000 lower 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 November is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at
8:30 a.m. (ET).
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| |
| Upcoming Changes to the Establishment Survey Birth-Death Model |
| |
| Effective with the release of January 2026 data, the establishment survey will change the |
| birth-death model by incorporating current sample information each month. The change follows |
| the same methodology applied to the April through October 2024 forecasts during the 2024 |
| post-benchmark period (see question 9 in the CES Birth-Death Model Frequently Asked Questions |
| page at www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesbdqa.htm). |
|_________________________________________________________________________________________________|
United States Department of Labor
