The ‘Mornings with Maria’ panel discusses the markets, the impact of the collapse of Spirit Airlines and the strength of the US economy.
This story about the April 2026 jobs report is developing and will be updated with more details.
The US economy added jobs at a moderate pace in April amid uncertainty surrounding the impact of conflicts in the Middle East on the labor market.
What are the key results of the April 2026 jobs report?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday reported that employers added 115,000 jobs in April. That number is higher than the estimates of economists consulted by LSEG, which predicted a gain of 62,000 jobs.
I unemployment rate It held steady at 4.3%, which was in line with the expectations of LSEG economists.
The payroll numbers for the past two months were revised, with February revised up by 23,000 from a loss of 133,000 to a decline of 156,000; and the March report was revised up by 7,000 from a gain of 178,000 to 185,000.
Combined, employment in February and March was 16,000 jobs lower than previously reported.
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Which sectors added or lost the most jobs in April 2026?
Private payrolls added 123,000 jobs in April, above the LSEG survey forecast of 75,000 jobs. March’s gain of 186,000 jobs was also revised up to 190,000 jobs.
Government payrolls gained by 8,000 jobs in April. Federal government workers shed 9,000 jobs in the month, and that cut eliminated half of 1,000 government jobs. Local government employment was little changed this month.
The manufacturing sector shed 2,000 jobs in April, as economists polled by LSEG had expected a gain of 5,000 jobs.
Health care employment grew by more than 37,300 jobs in April, which was in line with the average monthly gain of 32,000 over the past 12 months. Most of April’s job gains occurred in nursing and residential care facilities (+15,000) and home health care services (+11,000).
Construction added 9,000 jobs in April but showed little change over the past 12 months. Gains among non-residential specialty trade contractors (+12,600) were partially offset by declines among residential specialty trade contractors (-8,900), which were the industry categories with the largest shifts.
Transportation and warehousing added 30,000 jobs in April, driven by gains among couriers and couriers (+38,000). However, employment in this sector is down about 105,000 from its peak in February 2025.
Retail added 22,000 jobs in April, helped by hiring gains at warehouse clubs, department stores and other general merchandise retailers (+18,000) and at hardware and garden equipment retailers (+13,000). Those gains were partially offset by losses at supermarkets (-7,000) and electronics and machinery retailers (-2,000). The sector has shown little change over the past 12 months.
Public assistance added 17,000 jobs in April, led by gains in individual and family services (+24,000).
