Distributional channel
Monthly Jobs Event
Distributional reporting on the monthly federal jobs release — BLS Employment Situation, JOLTS, the Current Population Survey, the Current Employment Statistics establishment survey, and the Atlanta Fed Wage Growth Tracker. The standing distributional record of U.S. labor-market conditions, reported month by month.
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U.S. unemployment holds at 4.2% in June; quits and wage growth signal cooling
Release date: 2026-07-03
The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday reported a U.S. unemployment rate of 4.2 percent for June 2026, near recent readings. The broader U-6 underemployment measure fell to 7.9 percent from 8.2 percent the prior month, while the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed total nonfarm quits at 3,065,000 — well below the 4-million-plus readings that prevailed through much of 2022. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's Wage Growth Tracker recorded 3.5 percent median 12-month wage growth, signaling that the wage pressures of the post-pandemic reopening have largely worked through the system.
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U.S. adds 172,000 jobs in May; broader underemployment holds at 8.2%
Release date: 2026-06-05
The U.S. economy added 172,000 jobs in May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, as hiring in leisure and hospitality surged to more than four times the sector’s recent average. The headline unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3 percent for the third consecutive month, but the broader U-6 measure — which includes discouraged workers and those working part‑time involuntarily — held at 8.2 percent, underscoring a labor market in which millions of workers remain underutilized even as payrolls expand.