January 2026 jobs report: US economy added 130K jobs amid solid growth

This story on the January jobs report is developing and will be updated with more details.

The U.S. economy posted solid job growth in January as employers hired at a steady pace to start 2026 as the Federal Reserve evaluates the need for rate cuts in the months ahead.

What does the jobs report say?

The Labor Department on Wednesday reported that employers added 130,000 jobs in January. That figure was above the expectations of economists polled by LSEG, who estimated the economy would add 70,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate was 4.3%, slightly lower than economists’ expectations of 4.4%.

Revisions were made to the payroll numbers for the prior two months, with November’s report down by 15,000 from a gain of 56,000 to 41,000; while December’s gains were revised down by 2,000 from a gain of 50,000 to 48,000.

Taken together, employment in November and December was 17,000 jobs lower than previously reported.

What sectors added or lost the most jobs?

Private payrolls grew by 172,000 jobs in January, well above the LSEG estimate of 70,000.

Government payrolls declined by 42,000 jobs in January, with job cuts at the federal (-34,000) and state (-18,000) level partially offset by a gain among local governments (+10,000).

The manufacturing sector added 5,000 jobs in January, beating the expectations of the economists polled by LSEG, who estimated a loss of 5,000 jobs.