U.S. Added 206,000 Jobs in June as Hiring Stays Strong

The Labor Department reported on Friday that the U.S. added a solid 206,000 jobs last month, slightly beating expectations and continuing a remarkably strong run. But the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1%, a sign of slack in a labor market that has already shown some hints of gradually slowing down.

There were other indications as well that the job market is continuing to cool. Average hourly earnings were up 3.9% in June from a year earlier, marking their smallest gain since 2021. The counts for both April and May were revised lower by a combined 111,000 jobs. The labor force participation rate, the share of working-age people who were employed or seeking work, ticked up to 62.6%—an indication that more people entered the labor market.