Employment Situation

December 2025 | Released January 09, 2026

+50K
Change in nonfarm payroll jobs
Nov 2025 to Dec 2025

-0.1 percent
Change in unemployment rate
Nov 2025 to Dec 2025

-0.1 percent
Change in labor force participation rate
Nov 2025 to Dec 2025

From November 2025 to December 2025:

• Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 50K to 159.53 million.
  • Private sector payroll employment increased by 37K to 136.12 million.
  • Government payroll employment increased by 13K to 23.41 million.
• The headline unemployment rate (U-3) decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 4.4 percent.
  • The broadest measure of unemployment (U-6, which adds underemployment to unemployment) decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 8.4 percent.
• The labor force participation rate (LFPR) decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 62.4 percent.

From November 2025 to December 2025:

• The best performing sectors were leisure and hospitality (+47K) and private education and health services (+41K).
• The worst performing sectors were trade, transportation, and utilities (-33K) and construction (-11K).

From December 2024 to December 2025:

• The best performing sectors were private education and health services (+709K) and leisure and hospitality (+188K).
• The worst performing sectors were federal government (-274K) and professional and business services (-97K).

From December 2024 to December 2025:

• For all employees on private nonfarm payrolls:
  • Average nominal weekly earnings increased by 3.75 percent.
  • Average nominal hourly earnings increased by 3.76 percent.
• For production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls:
  • Average nominal weekly earnings increased by 3.55 percent.
  • Average nominal hourly earnings increased by 3.55 percent.

Table 1. Labor Indicators

	Dec 2025	Nov 2025	M/M change	Dec 2024	Y/Y change
Payroll jobs
Nonfarm	159.526M	159.476M	50K	158.942M	584K
Private	136.115M	136.078M	37K	135.382M	733K
Government	23.411M	23.398M	13K	23.560M	-149K
Unemployment
Official rate (U-3)	4.4%	4.5%	-0.1pp	4.1%	0.3pp
Broader rate (U-6)	8.4%	8.7%	-0.3pp	7.6%	0.8pp
Labor force participation rate
16 years and over	62.4%	62.5%	-0.1pp	62.5%	-0.1pp
Prime age (25-54 years)	83.8%	83.8%	0.0pp	83.4%	0.4pp
Employment-to-Population Ratio	59.7%	59.6%	0.1pp	59.9%	-0.2pp

Table 2. Earnings Indicators

	Dec 2025	Nov 2025	M/M change	Dec 2024	Y/Y change
Production and non-supervisory
Hourly earnings	$31.76	$31.73	0.09%	$30.67	3.55%
Weekly earnings	$1,070.31	$1,069.30	0.09%	$1,033.58	3.55%
All employees
Hourly earnings	$37.02	$36.90	0.33%	$35.68	3.76%
Weekly earnings	$1,266.08	$1,265.67	0.03%	$1,220.26	3.75%

Table 3. Revisions

	1st	2nd	3rd	Net revision
Nonfarm jobs added
November 2025	64K	56K		-8K
October 2025			-173K
September 2025	119K		108K	-11K

Table 4. Comparison to ADP Estimate

	BLS	ADP	Difference
Private nonfarm jobs added	37K	41K	-4K

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey

November 2025 | Released September 30, 2025

-303K
Change in nonfarm job openings
Oct 2025 to Nov 2025

-253K
Change in nonfarm hires
Oct 2025 to Nov 2025

+11K
Change in nonfarm separations
Oct 2025 to Nov 2025

Job Openings: The total number of nonfarm job openings decreased by 303K to 7.15 million, and the rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 4.3 percent.

• The best performing sectors were construction (+90K) and professional and business services (+34K).
• The worst performing sectors were leisure and hospitality (-160K) and state and local government (-97K).

Hires: The total number of nonfarm hires decreased by 253K to 5.12 million, and the rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 3.2 percent.

• The best performing sectors were information (+12K) and construction (+11K).
• The worst performing sectors were state and local government (-69K) and private education and health services (-67K).

Separations: The total number of nonfarm separations increased by 11K to 5.08 million, and the rate remained unchanged at 3.2 percent.

• Quits increased by 188K to 3.16 million, and the rate increased by 0.1 percentage points to 2 percent.
• Layoffs and discharges decreased by 163K to 1.69 million, and the rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 1.1 percent.
• Other separations decreased by 14K to 232K, and the rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 0.1 percent.

Table 5. JOLTS Level Indicators

	Nov 2025	Oct 2025	M/M change	Nov 2024	Y/Y change
Job openings level
Nonfarm	7.146M	7.449M	-303K	8.031M	-885K
Private	6.451M	6.665M	-214K	7.162M	-711K
Hire level
Nonfarm	5.115M	5.368M	-253K	5.307M	-192K
Private	4.832M	5.027M	-195K	4.961M	-129K
Separation level
Nonfarm	5.080M	5.069M	11K	5.087M	-7K
Private	4.789M	4.743M	46K	4.757M	32K

Table 6. JOLTS Rate Indicators

	Nov 2025	Oct 2025	M/M change	Nov 2024	Y/Y change
Job openings rate
Nonfarm	4.3%	4.5%	-0.2pp	4.8%	-0.5pp
Private	4.5%	4.7%	-0.2pp	5.0%	-0.5pp
Hire rate
Nonfarm	3.2%	3.4%	-0.2pp	3.3%	-0.1pp
Private	3.5%	3.7%	-0.2pp	3.7%	-0.2pp
Separation rate
Nonfarm	3.2%	3.2%	0.0pp	3.2%	0.0pp
Private	3.5%	3.5%	0.0pp	3.5%	0.0pp

Upcoming releases

Date	Time	Release	Data source
Jan 13	08:30 AM	Monthly Inflation Update, December 2025	Bureau of Labor Statistics
Jan 14	10:00 AM	Monthly Fiscal Update, December 2025	U.S. Treasury
Jan 27	10:00 AM	State Employment Update, December 2025	Bureau of Labor Statistics
Jan 29	08:30 AM	Monthly Expenditures Update, December 2025	Bureau of Economic Analysis
Feb 05	08:30 AM	Monthly Trade Update, December 2025	Bureau of Economic Analysis
Feb 06	08:30 AM	Monthly Employment Update, January 2026	Bureau of Labor Statistics
Feb 06	10:00 AM	Monthly Debt Update, January 2026	U.S. Treasury
Feb 11	08:30 AM	Monthly Inflation Update, January 2026	Bureau of Labor Statistics
Feb 12	10:00 AM	Monthly Fiscal Update, January 2026	U.S. Treasury

Notes

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics; ADP National Employment Report; JEC Republicans calculations

“pp” = percentage points; “M/M” = month over month; “Y/Y” = year over year

Consistent with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, monthly figures are seasonally adjusted. Discrepancy in change figures is possible due to rounding.