US Nonfarm Payroll and Employment Levels

BoA’s overall take on the NFP report is a positive one, and they also point out the solid income growth

Apr payrolls came in at 177k, slightly higher than our above-consensus (138k) forecast of 165k. Despite modest downward revisions (-58k) to Feb and Mar, this is a healthy number. The u-rate remained at 4.2% despite an uptick in the LFPR. Hours were revised up a tenth for Mar and stayed there in Apr. This should support 1Q income growth. The Apr jobs report was solid all around. There are no substantial signs yet of a policy (DOGE/tariffs/ immigration) drag on payrolls, but we’ll be keeping an eye on this.

S&P 500 futures rose 0.7% after nonfarm payrolls came in at 139,000 for May, surpassing economists’ expectations of 126,000

  • Nonfarm payrolls rose 139,000 in May, below 147,000 in April (revised downwards from 177,000) but above 126,000 estimate.

  • Unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2%, in line with estimates.

  • Average hourly earnings rose 0.4% on the month against expectations to rise at 0.3% as in April.

  • Labor force participation rate dropped 0.2% to 62.4%.

  • S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.7% following the report.

  • April nonfarm payroll numbers were also revised downwards by 65,000 to 120,000.

  • Education and Health Services, Leisure and Hospitality were the major contributors to the job gains.

  • The report eases recent concerns sparked by other economic indicators, such as rising jobless claims and weakening services activity, that had suggested the U.S. economy was heading toward a slowdown.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

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S&P 500 futures gains 0.3% after nonfarm payrolls rose 147,000 in June, exceeding 106,000 estimate and unemployment rate fell to 4.1% from 4.2%

  • Nonfarm payrolls rose 147,000 in May, above 106,000 estimate and 144,000 in May (revised upwards from 139,000).

  • Unemployment rate dropped to 4.1% from 4.2% in April, below 4.3% estimate.

  • Average hourly earnings rose 0.2% on the month, down from 0.4% in May and below 0.3% estimate.

  • Labor force participation rate dropped to 62.3% from 62.4%.

  • S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.3% and 0.4% respectively following the report.

  • Job gains were driven by government, education and health services, and leisure and hospitality.

  • Powell recently said if the labor market were to weaken significantly, it would be possible to cut rates earlier than expected.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

I=8
Nonfarm payrolls rose 73,000 in July, below 103,000 estimate and June number revised downwards by 147,000 to 14,000

  • Nonfarm payrolls rose 73,000 in July, below 103,000 estimate and above 14,000 in June (revised downwards from 147,000).

  • Unemployment rate was 4.2%, in line with estimate but above 4.1% in June.

  • Average hourly earnings rose 0.3% on the month, in line with the estimate but above 0.2% in June.

  • Labor force participation rate dropped to 62.2% from 62.3%.

  • Job gains came from healthcare (+55,000) and social assistance (+18,000) while job losses came mainly from federal government employment (-12,000).

  • September rate cut is now priced in, taking the number of expected rate cuts this year to two from one.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

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Trump fires head of Bureau of Labor Statistics, citing she manipulated jobs report data before elections to boost Kamala Harris’s election

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Nonfarm payrolls added 22,000 jobs in August, significantly lower than 75,000 estimate

  • Nonfarm payrolls added 22,000 jobs in August, significantly lower than 75,000 expected and below 79,000 in July (revised upwards from 73,000).

  • Unemployment rate was 4.3%, in line with estimate but up from 4.2% in July.

  • Average hourly earnings rose 0.3% on the month, in line with the estimate and unchanged from the previous month.

  • Labor force participation rate rose to 62.3% from 62.2% in July.

  • S&P 500 futures rose 0.2% while Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.6% following the release of the jobs report.

  • Job gains were led by Education & Health Services (+46,000) and Leisure & Hospitality (+28,000) while losses were led by Professional & Business Services (-17,000) and Government (-16,000).

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

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Nonfarm payrolls cut by 911,000 through March 2025, near top of expected range

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Delayed September job numbers rose 119,000, significantly above 51,000 estimate while unemployment rate rose to 4.4% from 4.3%

  • Nonfarm payrolls added 119,000 jobs in September, significantly above 51,000 estimate.
  • August job numbers were revised down to -4k from +22k.
  • Unemployment rate rose to 4.4%, against expectations for it to stay unchanged at 4.3%.
  • Average hourly earnings rose 0.2% in September, below 0.3% estimate and 0.4% in August (revised upwards from 0.3%).
  • Labor force participation rate rose to 62.4% from 62.3% in August.
  • S&P 500 futures are up 0.4% while Nasdaq Composite futures are up 0.6% following the report, but could have also been boosted by the strong Nvidia earnings.

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Unemployment rate rose 4.6% in November, above 4.5% estimate while nonfarm payrolls rose 64,000, above +50,000 estimate

  • Nonfarm payrolls added 64,000 jobs in November, above +50,000 estimate.
  • August job numbers were down 105,000 versus -25,000 estimate.
  • Unemployment rate ticked up to 4.6% in November from 4.4% in September, above 4.5% estimate.
  • Average hourly earnings rose 0.1% on the month, below +0.3% estimate and +0.4% in October.
  • Labor force participation rate rose to 62.5% from 62.4% in October.
  • The report does little to change the current expectations of January’s fed meeting since will get another report before then.
  • Stock futures were little changed following the report.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

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I=7
Unemployment rate rose 4.4% in November, below 4.5% estimate while nonfarm payrolls added 50,000, below +70,000 estimate

  • Nonfarm payrolls added 50,000 jobs in December, below +70,000 estimate.
  • November nonfarm payrolls were revised down to +56k from +64k.
  • Unemployment rate was 4.4%, below 4.5% estimate.
  • Average hourly earnings rose 0.3%, in line with the estimates and up from 0.2% in November (revised upwards from 0.1%).
  • Labor force participation rate fell to 62.4% from 62.5%.
  • S&P 500 futures rose 0.25% while Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.3% following the report.
  • The report does little to change market expectations, which currently imply a 97.2% probability of no rate cut in January.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

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I=8
Nonfarm payrolls added 130,000 in January, above +65,000 estimate while unemployment rate fell to 4.3% from 4.4%

  • Nonfarm payrolls added 130,000 jobs in January, above +65,000 estimate.
  • Unemployment rate came in at 4.3% versus expectations for it to stay steady at 4.4%.
  • Average hourly earnings rose 0.4%, above +0.3% estimate.
  • Labor force participation rate rose to 62.5% from 62.4%.
  • The report shows labor market continued to stabilize at the start of 2026 although economists generally expect it to remain sluggish throughout 2026.
  • S&P 500 futures rose 0.4% while Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.5% following the release of the job numbers.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

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I=8
Nonfarm payrolls fell 92,000 in February versus expectations for 58,000 growth, unemployment rate was 4.4% versus 4.3% estimate

  • S&P 500 futures sheds 0.7% while Nasdaq 100 futures drops 0.9% following the release.
  • The jobs report was impacted by the Kaiser Permanente health strike which led to a loss of 28,000 jobs and harsh weather conditions which interrupted hiring in sectors like construction and services.
  • Claudia Sahm, Chief Economist at New Century Advisors (and other experts (Notion) view the February jobs report as weak and showing a flat “jobless expansion,” which raises attention to downside risks in the labor market.

More insights in Notion

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

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Nonfarm payrolls rose by 115,000 in April, above 65,000 estimate while unemployment rate was in line with estimate

  • Nonfarm payrolls rose by 115,000 in April, above 65,000 estimate but down from 185,000 in March ( revised upwards from 178,000).

  • Unemployment rate held at 4.3%, in line with the estimate.

  • March nonfarm payrolls had also exceeded 65,000 estimate.

  • The figures give the fed space to keep interest rates unchanged, after fed chair Jerome Powell said last week that the job market has shown “more and more signs of stability.”

  • Average hourly earnings rose 0.2% for the month and 3.6% on an annual basis, versus 0.3% and 3.8% estimates, respectively.

  • S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite futures are up 0.6% and 0.8%, respectively, following the report, though gains may also be supported by hopes for an Iran peace deal.

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

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I=8
Nonfarm payrolls rose by 172,000 in May, above 85,000 estimate while unemployment rate was in line with estimate

  • Nonfarm payrolls rose 172,000 in May, above 85,000 estimate but down from 179,000 in April (revised upwards from 115,000).
  • Unemployment rate healdy steady at 4.3%, in line with estimates.
  • Labor force participation rate was unchanged at 61.8%.
  • The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose 5 basis points to 4.534% while S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite sheds more than 1% as the report indicates the labor market is resilient and may embolden the fed to hike interest rates to contain inflation (caused by rising fuel costs).

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm