This story about the April 2026 jobs report is developing and will be updated with further details.
The U.S. economy added jobs at a modest pace in April amid uncertainty surrounding the impact of conflict in the Middle East on the labor market.
What are the key findings of the April 2026 jobs report?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday reported that employers added 115,000 jobs in April. That figure is above the estimates of economists polled by LSEG, who predicted a gain of 62,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, which was in line with the expectations of LSEG economists.
Revisions were made to the payroll numbers for the prior two months, with February revised down by 23,000 from a loss of 133,000 to a decline of 156,000; while March’s report was revised up by 7,000 from a gain of 178,000 to 185,000.
Taken together, employment in February and March was 16,000 jobs lower than previously reported.
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What sectors added or lost the most jobs in April 2026?
Private payrolls added 123,000 jobs in April, well above the LSEG poll’s prediction of 75,000 jobs. March’s gain of 186,000 jobs was also revised up to 190,000 jobs.
Government payrolls contracted by 8,000 jobs in April. The federal government’s workforce shed 9,000 jobs for the month, while that decline was partially offset by a gain of 1,000 state government jobs. Local government employment was little changed for the month.
The manufacturing sector shed 2,000 jobs in April, as economists polled by LSEG had expected a gain of 5,000 jobs.
Healthcare employment grew by over 37,300 jobs in April, which was in line with the average monthly gain of 32,000 over the prior 12 months. Most of April’s job gains occurred in nursing and residential care facilities (+15,000) and home healthcare services (+11,000).
Construction added 9,000 jobs in April but showed little net change over the prior 12 months. Gains among nonresidential specialty trade contractors (+12,600) were partially offset by a decline among residential specialty trade contractors (-8,900), which were the segments of the sector with the biggest shifts.
Transportation and warehousing added 30,000 jobs in April, driven by a gain among couriers and messengers (+38,000). However, the sector’s employment is down about 105,000 from a peak in February 2025.
Retail added 22,000 jobs in April, aided by employment gains at warehouse clubs, supercenters and other general merchandise retailers (+18,000) and in building material and garden supplies dealers (+13,000). Those gains were partially offset by losses to department stores (-7,000) and electronics and appliance retailers (-2,000). The sector has shown little net change in the last 12 months.
Social assistance added 17,000 jobs in April, led by gains in individual and family services (+24,000).
What does the April 2026 jobs report mean for the workforce?
The number of long-term unemployed, defined as those who have been jobless for 27 weeks or more, was little changed at 1.8 million in April. The long-term unemployed accounted for 25.3% of all unemployed people.
The number of people employed part-time for economic reasons rose by 445,000 to 4.9 million in April. These workers would’ve preferred full-time employment but worked part-time because their hours were reduced or they weren’t able to find full-time jobs.
The labor force participation rate was 61.8% and the employment-population ratio was 59.1% in April, having shown little change in the month. Both measures are down over the last year, with the labor force participation rate down from 62.6% and the employment-population ratio declining from 60% last April.
What experts are saying about the April 2026 jobs report
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