U.S. payrolls rose 162,000 in August, much more than expected; unemployment rate at 4.1%

A job seeker fills out a request for information during the HIRE360 Diversity Hiring Expo & Mega Career Expo at the Carson Event Center on June 30, 2026, in Carson, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty ImagesThe U.S. economy added jobs at a brisk pace in August, reversing a summer slowdown in hiring, while the unemployment rate held steady.Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 162,000 for the month while the unemployment rate, as expected, held steady at 4.1%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a payrolls increase of 53,000.August's total was the strongest monthly gain since March.The report was consistent with what Federal Reserve officials have called a stable labor market, and likely turns the central bank's focus to next week's inflation numbers as the final determinant heading into the interest rate decision in less than two weeks. Stock market futures moved mostly lower after the release while Treasury yields, particularly at the short end where Fed policy has its greatest impact, rose sharply. Policymakers generally watch the unemployment rate more closely for the health of the labor market, and that...