In March, the U.S. non-farm payroll employment increased by 178,000, rebounding significantly from February, with the unemployment rate remaining unchanged at 4.3%. Growth was mainly concentrated in the healthcare, construction, and transportation sectors, while federal government employment continued to decline. Below is the full text of the non-farm payroll employment report.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that in Marchnonfarm payrollspayrolls increased by 178,000, with the unemployment rate remaining largely unchanged at 4.3%. Employment growth was primarily concentrated in healthcare, construction, and transportation and warehousing, while federal government employment continued to decline.
This press release is based on data from two monthly surveys. The household survey measures labor force status by demographic characteristics, including unemployment, while the establishment survey measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. For more information on the concepts and statistical methods used in these surveys, please refer to the technical notes.
Household Survey Data
The unemployment rate was 4.3% in March, with 7.2 million people unemployed, showing little change. These indicators have remained largely stable over the past year.
Among major labor groups, the unemployment rate for Asians (3.7%) declined in March. The unemployment rates for adult men (3.8%), adult women (4.0%), teenagers (13.7%), Whites (3.6%), Blacks (7.1%), and Hispanics (4.8%) showed little change during the month.
The number of long-term unemployed individuals (those unemployed for 27 weeks or more) was 1.8 million in March, showing little change but increasing by 322,000 from a year earlier. Long-term unemployed accounted for 25.4% of the total unemployed population.
The labor force participation rate was 61.9% in March, and the employment-to-population ratio was 59.2%, both showing little change. After adjusting for annual population factors, these indicators remained largely stable compared to a year ago.
The number of individuals working part-time for economic reasons was 4.5 million in March, showing little change. These individuals would prefer full-time employment but were limited to part-time work due to reduced hours or inability to find full-time positions.
The number of people who currently want a job but are not counted as part of the labor force was 6.0 million in March, showing little change. These individuals were not classified as unemployed because they had not actively sought work in the four weeks prior to the survey or were unavailable to start immediately.
Among those not in the labor force but wanting a job, the number of marginally attached workers increased by 325,000 in March to reach 1.9 million. These individuals wanted and were available for work, had looked for a job in the past 12 months, but had not searched in the four weeks preceding the survey. Among them, discouraged workers—those who believe no suitable jobs are available for them—increased by 144,000 to reach 510,000.
Establishment survey data
The number of nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 178,000 in March, following a decrease of 133,000 in February. Employment growth was primarily driven by the healthcare, construction, and transportation and warehousing sectors, while federal government employment continued to decline. Overall, nonfarm payroll changes over the past 12 months have been relatively stable.
The healthcare sector added 76,000 jobs in March. Of these, outpatient healthcare services contributed 54,000 jobs, mainly reflecting an increase of 35,000 positions in physicians' offices (due to workers returning after a strike). Hospital employment rose by 15,000. Over the past 12 months, the sector has added an average of 29,000 jobs per month.
The construction industry added 26,000 jobs in March, but overall changes over the past 12 months have been minimal.
The transportation and warehousing sector added 21,000 jobs in March, with courier and messenger services contributing 20,000 jobs. Since reaching its peak in February 2025, the sector has lost 139,000 jobs.
The social assistance sector continued its growth trend, adding 14,000 jobs in March, primarily from individual and family services (+11,000).
Federal government employment continued to decline in March (-18,000). Since reaching its peak in October 2024, federal government employment has decreased by 355,000 jobs, representing an 11.8% reduction. Federal employees who were temporarily furloughed during parts of the government shutdown are still counted as employed in the business survey if they worked or received (or will receive) pay during the pay period that includes the 12th day of the month.
Employment in financial activities decreased by 15,000 in March, with finance and insurance shedding 16,000 jobs. Since peaking in May 2025, the sector has lost 77,000 jobs.
Other major industries saw little change in employment in March, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; information; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services.
In March, the average hourly earnings of private-sector nonfarm employees increased by 9 cents, or 0.2%, to $37.38, marking a 3.5% year-over-year increase. The average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees in the private sector rose by 5 cents, or 0.2%, to $32.07.
The average weekly hours worked by private-sector nonfarm employees decreased by 0.1 hour to 34.2 hours in March. Manufacturing sector average hours remained unchanged at 40.2 hours, with overtime hours steady at 3.0 hours. The average weekly hours for production and nonsupervisory employees in the private nonfarm sector stayed at 33.8 hours.
The January increase in nonfarm payrolls was revised up from 126,000 to 160,000, an upward adjustment of 34,000. The February figure was revised down from a loss of 92,000 to a loss of 133,000, a downward adjustment of 41,000. After revisions, the combined employment figures for January and February were 7,000 lower than previously reported. (Monthly revisions are based on new reports provided by businesses and government agencies as well as recalculations of seasonal factors.)
The April 2026 Employment Situation Report will be released on Friday, May 8, 2026, at 8:30 AM Eastern Time (20:30 Beijing Time).
Stay ahead with key financial updates and discover investment opportunities early! Open Futubull > Market > US Stocks >Economic Calendar/Selected macroeconomic data, seize the investment opportunity!
Editor/Rocky