(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) US adds 162,000 jobs in August, raising Fed rate hike expectations | Business and Economy News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/9/4/us-adds-jobs-in-august-beating-economic-forecasts)                                               (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/economy/2026/9/4/us-adds-jobs-in-august-beating-economic-forecasts)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2026-09-02T152737Z_55331793_RC27FKA8A3FX_RTRMADP_3_USA-ECONOMY-1788533434.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2026-09-02T152737Z_55331793_RC27FKA8A3FX_RTRMADP_3_USA-ECONOMY-1788533434.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6c6e15fe.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.25927f0e.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.74fd263a.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~5db14389.c7afea12.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (../../../../static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.c65718e9.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blog-container~containers~72501995.3d2cbba2.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~pages/amp-article~pages/article-page~493df0b3.1e546aab.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.5839b1ed.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (us-adds-jobs-in-august-beating-economic-forecasts@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        Navigation menu caret-left    (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/donald-trump/) Donald Trump    (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/this-is-america/2026/7/28/trump-netanyahu-and-the-iran-question) Trump, Netanyahu and the Iran question   (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/the-bottom-line/2026/5/24/how-will-iran-war-fallout-impact-upcoming-us-elections) How Iran war fallout may shape US elections   (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2026/5/19/how-the-shape-of-a-map-can-determine-the-us-midterm-elections) A visual guide to redistricting     caret-right         (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy |(https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/business-and-economy/) Business and Economy   US adds 162,000 jobs in August, raising Fed rate hike expectations Unemployment rate steady as schools and food services lead the surge in US job growth for August.   Listen   Listen (4 mins)       Save       Share US adds 162,000 jobs in August, raising Fed rate hike expectations on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fq0ypzk) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=US%20adds%20162%2C000%20jobs%20in%20August%2C%20raising%20Fed%20rate%20hike%20expectations&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fq0ypzk) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fq0ypzk) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/q0ypzk)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (FILE PHOTO: A sign posted outside a Target store states the company is hiring in Encinitas, California, U.S., March 30, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo)   Public schools and food services led the gains in the US job market [File: Mike Blake/Reuters]   (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/andy_hirschfeld_200917192526112)     By  (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/andy_hirschfeld_200917192526112) Andy Hirschfeld    Published On 4 Sep 2026 4 Sep 2026    The United States economy has added 162,000 jobs in August, with large gains in local government education and food services. The unemployment rate remained unchanged, according to the monthly jobs report released by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/8/7/us-labour-market-sheds-jobs-in-july-as-labour-force-participation-slumps) US labour market sheds jobs in July as labour force participation slumps  list 2 of 4 (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/8/14/ceo-pay-skyrockets-in-2025-amid-growing-income-inequality-in-the-us) CEO pay skyrockets in 2025 amid growing income inequality in the US  list 3 of 4 (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/8/20/us-debt-hits-40-trillion-who-does-washington-owe-and-why-does-it-matter) US debt hits $40 trillion: Who does Washington owe and why does it matter?  list 4 of 4 (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/8/28/us-fed-chair-warns-inflation-progress-insufficient-hints-at-rate-hikes) US Fed chair warns inflation progress insufficient, hints at rate hikes   end of list  The data was well above analysts’ expectations. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 56,000 gains, the Wall Street Journal forecast 53,000, and Bloomberg had forecast 55,000, following a loss (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/8/7/us-labour-market-sheds-jobs-in-july-as-labour-force-participation-slumps) of 23,000 in July.  Local government education, or public schools, accounted for nearly 42,000 of the jobs added as the 2026–27 school year begins across much of the US. Teachers typically fall off payrolls during the summer months when school is not in session. Food service jobs also saw large increases, with the sector adding 59,000 jobs for the month of August compared with the month prior. There were also gains in construction, which added 22,000 jobs, and healthcare, which added 12,000. The information sector, which accounts for industries like data processing, web hosting, publishing, broadcasting and telecommunications, fell by 23,000, with notable layoffs at companies including Scripps TV and Zillow, which fall under the umbrella of these industries. The financial activities sector, which accounts for industries like insurance, commercial banking and real estate, dropped by 12,000. Mixed data The data comes in sharp contrast to the ADP national employment report, which tracks private payrolls and found 38,000 jobs added across the US economy. Advertisement    Meanwhile, the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report released on Tuesday revealed job openings were slightly changed, with 7.3 million in July, up from 7.2 million the previous month, while total separations fell to 5.1 million in July from 5.3 million in June. The move in job gains comes ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s policy meeting later this month, where the central bank will vote on interest rates. Amid the job gains, CME Group’s FedWatch, which tracks the likelihood of monetary policy decisions, had a 60 percent chance of a 25 basis point rate increase to 3.75–4.00 percent, up from 49 percent on Thursday. US President Donald Trump was quick to comment on the jobs report and push for rate cuts. “Lower the interest rates because the U.S.A. is a much stronger credit than it was a short time ago!” he said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. He also ramped up threats to cut off trade with nations that the US has a deficit with if the central bank does not cut rates. Despite a strong jobs report, US markets are trending downwards. The Nasdaq is down 0.2 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 0.5 percent, and the S&P 500 is down 0.3 percent amid Trump’s comments. Meanwhile, Canada released its jobs report amid the ongoing trade dispute with the US. The Canadian economy lost 41,700 jobs, according to Statistics Canada, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 6.4 percent. “We expect the economy will continue struggling to create jobs in the near term as mounting headwinds from new US-Canada tariffs, greater uncertainty from a flare-up in the trade war, and the ongoing Iran conflict and a shrinking population weigh on hiring,” Tony Stillo, director of Canada Economics at Oxford Economics, said in a note provided to Al Jazeera.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss       (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network