The Economics and Statistics Division maintains archives of previous publications for accountability purposes, but makes no updates to keep these documents current with the latest data revisions from Statistics Canada. As a result, information in older documents may not be accurate. Please exercise caution when referring to older documents. For the latest information and historical data, please contact the individual listed to the right.
<--- Return to Archive
For additional information relating to this article, please contact:
February 11, 2026US EMPLOYMENT, JANUARY 2026 Monthly change (January 2026 vs December 2025, seasonally adjusted)
US non-farm payroll employment increased 130,000 in January 2026, rising to 158.6 million persons.
The increase of 130,000 in US nonfarm payroll employment was stronger than the revised gain of 48,000 reported for December 2025. With this release, seasonally adjusted monthly data have been revised in accordance with annual practices. This has resulted in downward revisions to monthly job levels for 2025, with the change in total nonfarm employment for 2025 revised from a gain of 584,000 to a gain of 181,000.
The US unemployment rate edged down 0.1 percentage point to 4.3% in January 2026. The US unemployment rate has remained at or above 4% since May 2024.
The US participation rate edged up 0.1 percentage point to 62.5% in January 2026. The US participation rate had stabilized below levels observed prior to the pandemic and has grown slightly since July 2025.
The US employment to population ratio edged up 0.1 percentage point to 59.8% in January 2026. As with the participation rate, the US employment rate remains below pre-pandemic levels and has declined slightly since mid-2023.
Note: Data for October 2025 were not collected due to the federal government shutdown.
Note: Canadian and US labour force statistics refer to different working-age cohorts.
Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics retrieved from Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Statistics Canada. US Bureau of Labor Statistics Economic News Release; Table 14-10-0287-01 Labour force characteristics, monthly, seasonally adjusted and trend-cycle
<--- Return to Archive
