U.S. employers added 139,000 jobs in May 2025, slightly surpassing economists’ expectations but signaling a notable slowdown from earlier in the year The unemployment rate held steady at.2% for the third consecutive month, maintaining levels near historic lows even as job growth cooled.
Health care and hospitality led job gains, while federal employment continued to decline The labor market remains resilient, but subtle signs of weakening have emerged, including a drop in the labor force participation rate and a modest uptick in job separations The pace of hiring is now just above what’s needed to keep up with population growth, reflecting cautious optimism among businesses facing uncertainty from tariffs and policy debates.
Wage growth continued to outpace inflation, providing some relief for workers, but overall, the data suggest the job market is steady but cooling as the economy adapts to changing conditions.
