The U.S. added an unexpectedly robust 165,000 jobs in October, with the unemployment rate at 4.1%, while jobs in the entertainment industry also picked up.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has provided a snapshot of the labor market that has bounced from months of job gains to lackluster numbers or even losses this year. But the unemployment rate has hovered around 4.1% to 4.3% for much of the year.
The biggest job gains were in professional and business services, healthcare and transportation and warehousing.
In movie and music production, there were 3,200 jobs added to 328,400, while broadcasting and content providers added about 200, to 327,600. Publishing jobs fell by 4,100 to 880,000.
Average hourly earnings increased by 14 center to $38.00. Over the last 12 months, average hourly earnings increased by 3.1%. That is below the rate of the most recent Consumer Price Index, which rose 0.6% in September and 3.7% over the year. Donald Trump and Republicans suffered a midterm wipeout on Tuesday, in large part on affordability concerns.
The bureau adjusted numbers for August and September, adding 84,000 jobs to the figures previously reported. That is typical, as additional data is received after the initial monthly estimates are released.
Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal, called the latest report “strong on every level.”
She wrote on X, “Bottom line: The US economy is averaging nearly +86,000 job gains a month in 2026. That’s much better than the anemic +10,000 average in 2025.”
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