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:
September 04, 2026US EMPLOYMENT, AUGUST 2026 Monthly change (August 2026 vs July 2026, seasonally adjusted)
US non-farm payroll employment increased 162,000 in August 2026, rising to 159.1 million persons.
The increase of 162,000 in US nonfarm payroll employment was stronger than the revised gain of 21,000 reported for July 2026.
The US unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1% in August 2026. The US unemployment rate has remained at or above 4% since June 2024.
The US participation rate increased 0.2 percentage points to 61.6% in August 2026. The US participation rate had stabilized below levels observed prior to the pandemic and has declined since the end of 2025.
The US employment to population ratio increased 0.2 percentage points to 59.1% in August 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. Table 14-10-0287-01 Labour force characteristics, monthly, seasonally adjusted and trend-cycle
<--- Return to Archive
