The US economy added 178,000 jobs in March 2026, the largest monthly gain since December 2024. This followed a revised decline of 133,000 jobs in February, when a strike in the healthcare sector weighed on employment. March’s increase far exceeded market expectations of a 60,000 gain.
Job growth was led by healthcare, which added 76,000 positions, including 54,000 in ambulatory health care services. This reflected a 35,000 increase in employment in physicians’ offices as workers returned from the strike. Construction employment rose by 26,000 after weather-related declines over the winter. Transportation and warehousing added 21,000 jobs, manufacturing increased by 15,000, and employment in social assistance continued to trend higher, rising by 14,000.
By contrast, federal government employment continued to fall, decreasing by 18,000, and financial activities shed 15,000 jobs.
Revisions to prior months showed that January’s payroll gain was revised up by 34,000 to 160,000, while February’s change was revised down by 41,000 to a loss of 133,000. Taken together, total employment over January and February is now estimated to be 7,000 lower than initially reported.
