The U.S. economy added just 57,000 jobs in June, badly missing the 110,000 consensus forecast and reviving fears that the labor market is losing momentum. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.2% from 4.3%, but only because the labor force participation rate fell to 61.5%, the lowest level since March 2021 — a sign the drop reflects people leaving the workforce rather than new hiring.
Prior months were revised sharply lower: April lost 31,000 jobs and May lost 43,000 from initial estimates. Healthcare led job growth with 21,500 new positions, while leisure and hospitality shed 61,000. Average hourly earnings rose 3.5% year-over-year, still trailing the latest 4.2% inflation reading.
"Firms are still adding to their payrolls, but hours worked are below pre-pandemic levels," said LPL Chief Economist Jeffrey Roach, adding the labor market is "holding, giving the Fed opportunity to stay focused on price stability." Seema Shah of Principal Asset Management said the report "paints a softer picture of the labor market" and reduces pressure on the Federal Reserve to tighten policy further. Markets shrugged off the weak print, with the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq each rising about 0.7% on the day.