Current Employment Statistics Preliminary Benchmark (National) Summary

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Friday, August 28, 2026                         USDL- 26-1425
 
 
Technical information: (202) 691-6555  *  cesinfo@bls.gov   *  www.bls.gov/ces
Media contact:         (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov
 
Current Employment Statistics Preliminary Benchmark (National) - March 2026
 
The preliminary estimate of the Current Employment Statistics (CES) national benchmark revision 
to total nonfarm employment for March 2026 was -79,000 (-0.1 percent), the U.S. Bureau of Labor 
Statistics reported today. The preliminary benchmark revision for total private employment was
-178,000 (-0.1 percent). The annual benchmark revisions over the last 10 years have an absolute 
average of 0.2 percent of total nonfarm employment. In accordance with usual practice, the final 
benchmark revision will be issued in February 2027 with the publication of the January 2027 
Employment Situation news release.
 
Each year, CES employment estimates are benchmarked to comprehensive counts of employment from the 
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). These counts are derived primarily from state 
unemployment insurance (UI) tax records that nearly all employers are required to file with state 
workforce agencies. 
 
The preliminary benchmark revision reflects the difference between two independently derived 
employment counts, each subject to their own sources of error. It serves as a preliminary measure 
of the total error in CES employment estimates from March 2025 to March 2026. 
 
The preliminary benchmark revisions in table 1 are calculated only for March 2026 for the major 
industry sectors. As is typically the case, many of the individual industry series show larger 
percentage revisions than the total nonfarm series, primarily because statistical sampling error is 
greater at more detailed levels than at an aggregated level. 
 
Official establishment survey estimates are not updated based on this preliminary benchmark revision. 
The final benchmark revision will be incorporated into official estimates with the publication of the 
January 2027 Employment Situation news release in February 2027.
 
 
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The final benchmark revision is scheduled to be published in February 2027 with the January 2027 Employment Situation 
news release.