Catenaa, Friday, June 06, 2025- US economy added 139,000 jobs in May as the labor market stays resilient despite economic uncertainty around President Trump’s tariffs.
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 139,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday.
Employment continued to trend up in health care, leisure and hospitality, and social assistance. While the federal government continued to lose jobs.
In April, the US economy added 177,000 jobs while the unemployment rate held flat at 4.2%. Those figures were revised lower on Friday to reflect that the economy added 147,000 jobs that month.
Revisions from March and April showed the US labor market added 95,000 fewer jobs than initially thought.
Stocks rallied off the report with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite all rising about 1% on early Friday.
Also, data showed that average hourly earnings in May rose 0.4% over the last month and 3.9% over the prior year.
Economists expected wages to rise 0.3% over the last month and 3.7% over the prior year. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate fell to 62.4% from 62.6% the month prior.
Amid the tariff back-and-forth, other signs of slowing in the jobs market have begun to emerge in the data. On Wednesday, ADP data showed the private sector added 37,000 jobs in May, the lowest monthly total in more than two years.
On Thursday, weekly filings for unemployment benefits hit their highest level since October 2024. Meanwhile, continuing claims hovered near their highest level in nearly four years.
