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US nonfarm payrolls fall by 23,000 in July

financeAug 7, 2026161,851

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported U.S. nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, the first monthly decline since February, while the unemployment rate eased to 4.1 percent. The BLS also revised May and June down by a combined 103,000 jobs. Private payrolls increased about 30,000, but large losses in state and local education employment, nearly 50,000 by one account, drove most of the decline and prompted questions about seasonal adjustment. Labor force participation slipped to about 61.4 percent, and year-over-year nominal wage growth decelerated to roughly 3.2 percent. News outlets including Reuters and CNBC flagged the surprise drop and the sizable revisions as considerations for Federal Reserve policy when it meets next month. The report follows a recent 12-month average monthly gain of about 34,000, showing the labor market’s recent cooling compared with earlier strength.

Aaron Rupar
@atrupar.com

CNBC on the July jobs report: "Minus -- minus! -- 23,000 on non-farm payrolls. That would be the second worst number of the year ... revisions -- another whopper! Minus 103,000 ... average hourly earnings -- big miss!"

14313h ago
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