U.S. Snaps Hiring Hot Streak With Only 57,000 Jobs Added in June
The unemployment rate edged down to 4.2% as more people left the labor force
By Harriet Torry, The Wall Street Journal, Updated July 2, 2026
- The U.S. economy added 57,000 jobs in June, missing analyst expectations and cooling from May’s 129,000 gain, the Labor Department said.
- The unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 4.2% in June. The labor force declined by 720,000 from May to June. [end quote]
https://www.epi.org/indicators/jolts/
The labor force declined due to a combination of retirements and immigrants leaving the U.S.
The market is happy because the Federal Reserve might use the weakening labor market as a reason to keep the fed funds rate constant instead of raising it.
Wendy