August job numbers far exceed economists' expectations

NPR | By Scott Horsley,

Steve Inskeep

Published September 4, 2026 at 4:00 AM EDT

Employers added 162,000 jobs in August, according to the Labor Department on Friday. Economists had expected the labor market to add about 53,000 jobs.

Scott Horsley

Scott Horsley is NPR's Chief Economics Correspondent.

See stories by Scott Horsley

Steve Inskeep

Steve Inskeep is a host of NPR's Morning Edition and Up First.

See stories by Steve Inskeep

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