U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in August, beating expectations

NPR | By Scott Horsley

Published September 4, 2026 at 4:18 PM EDT

U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in August, beating expectations. The news could give the Federal Reserve more leeway to raise interest rates later this month to curb stubborn inflation.

Scott Horsley

Scott Horsley is NPR's Chief Economics Correspondent.

See stories by Scott Horsley

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