Economy added 143,000 jobs in January: The key facts and figures

The economy added 143,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate was 4%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

Investors had expected roughly 169,000 new jobs and for the unemployment rate to hold steady at 4.1%.

The caveat

The two surveys that make up the monthly jobs report underwent major revisions with January’s update. The upshot is that the monthly payroll numbers, which are taken from the survey of establishments, have been revised going back to January 2020. They now show that job creation was significantly slower than thought, by 610,000 jobs in 2024.