The US economy added 172K jobs in May 2026, significantly exceeding market expectations of 85K and following an upwardly revised gain of 179K in April, underscoring the continued resilience of the labour market. The largest job increases were recorded in leisure and hospitality (+70K), driven primarily by food services and drinking places (+48K); local government (+55K); health care (+35K); and manufacturing (+7K).
In contrast, employment in financial activities fell by 22K, with the largest declines in insurance carriers and related activities (-11K) and commercial banking (-3K). Employment in transportation and warehousing was essentially flat (+1K), and other major sectors—including construction, wholesale trade, retail trade, information, and professional and business services—showed little overall change.
Additionally, upward revisions to earlier data strengthened the overall picture: employment levels for March and April are now estimated to be a combined 93K higher than previously reported.
