Weak Jobs Report
An economic report for August showing lower-than-expected job growth, a rise in part-time over full-time jobs, and significant downward revisions to previous months' data. It sparked debate about the state of the US economy and the reliability of government data.
First Mentioned
9/8/2025, 4:40:28 AM
Last Updated
9/8/2025, 4:46:23 AM
Research Retrieved
9/8/2025, 4:46:23 AM
Summary
The "Weak Jobs Report," particularly the one released in September 2025 covering August data, revealed a significant slowdown in the U.S. labor market, adding only 22,000 new jobs in August and showing a loss of 13,000 jobs in June, marking the first net loss since December 2020. This report, which also indicated a rise in the unemployment rate to 4.3%, raised deep concerns about the state of the U.S. Economy and the reliability of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It complicated policy decisions for the Federal Reserve, leading to expectations of interest rate cuts, and was a key topic of discussion on The All-In Podcast. The report also highlighted ongoing manufacturing job losses, potentially linked to tariff uncertainty, and followed the controversial firing of the BLS Commissioner by President Donald Trump after a previous weak jobs report in July.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Type
Economic Report
Focus
Labor Market, Job Growth
Data Source
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Primary Impact
Raised concerns about US Economy, complicated Federal Reserve policy, led to expectations of interest rate cuts
Contributing Factor
Manufacturing job losses, potentially due to tariff uncertainty
Jobs Lost (June 2025)
13,000 (first net loss since December 2020)
Jobs Added (August 2025)
22,000 (weaker than expected)
Unemployment Rate (August 2025)
4.3% (rose)
Labor Force Participation Rate (August 2025)
62.3% (edged higher)
Timeline
- The US economy last experienced a net loss of jobs prior to June 2025. (Source: web_search_results)
2020-12-XX
- The number of unemployed people last eclipsed job openings prior to July 2025. (Source: web_search_results)
2021-04-XX
- Release of the July jobs report, which was weak and led to President Donald Trump firing the BLS Commissioner. (Source: web_search_results)
2025-08-XX
- Release of the August jobs report, showing 22,000 new jobs added in August, a loss of 13,000 jobs in June, and an unemployment rate of 4.3%. (Source: web_search_results)
2025-09-05
Web Search Results
- Chicago Fed president unpacks weak jobs report and what it says ...
The labor market appears to have stalled this summer, according to the significantly weaker than expected jobs report. Employers added just 22,000 new jobs in August and revisions show the economy lost 13,000 jobs in June, the first net loss since December 2020. Amna Nawaz discussed the report with Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austin Goolsbee. ## Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. [...] Geoff Bennett: Fresh government data show the labor market hit a wall this summer. The August jobs report came in far weaker than expected, signaling a slowdown that could challenge the president's economic message. Amna Nawaz: Employers added just 2,2000 new jobs last month. The only sector that added significant numbers was health care. Several other sectors, including manufacturing, lost jobs. [...] This was the first monthly jobs report since the president fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics just hours after a weak jobs report last month. Experts said today they have seen no problems with the agency's work yet or the acting commissioner overseeing it. I spoke about all of this earlier today with Austan Goolsbee, the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Austan Goolsbee, welcome back to the "News Hour." Thanks for joining us.
- Second Weak Jobs Report Undercuts Trump's Claims of a Booming ...
Published Time: 2025-09-05T19:56:52.000Z A Second Weak Jobs Report Challenges Trump’s Claim the Economy Is Booming - The New York Times Skip to contentSkip to site indexSearch & Section Navigation Section Navigation SEARCH Politics Read 782 Comments Share full article 782 Related Content Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Site Index Site Information Navigation ©2025 The New York Times Company [...] See subscription options [...] NYTCo Contact Us Accessibility Work with us Advertise T Brand Studio Your Ad Choices Privacy Policy Terms of Service Terms of Sale Site Map Canada International Help Subscriptions Your Privacy Choices Log in for free access to this story. You’ll also have free access to our top story and more. Log in for free access to this story. You’ll also have free access to our top story and more. Enjoy unlimited access to all of The Times.
- US economy adds fewer jobs than expected in August, confirming ...
"Tariffs are working," Chavez-DeRemer said. "Companies are investing in the American workforce. We're seeing consumer confidence up, and real wages up, year-over-year." Share close panel Share page Copy link About sharing 7. Image 6: Analysis ### Why US stocks are rising despite a weak jobs report published at 14:48 British Summer Time 5 September 14:48 BST 5 September published at 13:48 5 September 13:48 5 September Image 7Michelle Fleury New York Business Correspondent [...] It might seem counterintuitive: a gloomy jobs report — yet US stock markets are at record levels. On Wall Street, this is a classic case of "_bad news is good news"._ Traders are betting that today’s disappointing labour market data will prompt the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates — perhaps sooner and more aggressively than previously expected. In this context, it’s not the weakness in hiring that’s driving markets, but what that weakness could mean for the Fed's next move. [...] New York Business Correspondent The big question ahead of today’s jobs report was: _just how bad would it be?_ The answer? Pretty grim. America’s labour market is showing clear signs of strain. Job growth has slowed to its weakest pace since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic — and over the last three months, the economy has barely added any jobs at all.
- Jobs report August 2025: Payrolls rose 22,000 in August in ... - CNBC
“The warning bell that rang in the labor market a month ago just got louder. A weaker-than-expected jobs report all but seals a 25-basis-point rate cut later this month,” said Olu Sonola, head of U.S. economic research at Fitch Ratings. “Four straight months of manufacturing job losses stand out. It’s hard to argue that tariff uncertainty isn’t a key driver of this weakness.” [...] While the establishment survey showed weak job creation, the more volatile household count, used to calculate the unemployment rate, held better news. That report showed an increase of 288,000 employed, though the ranks of the unemployed also rose by 148,000. The labor force participation rate edged higher to 62.3% while the labor force swelled by 436,000, accounting for the tick higher in the unemployment rate. [...] The payrolls count was the first since President Donald Trump fired former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer following the release of the July jobs report a month ago. The move came after the report showed not just a weak level of job creation but also dramatic reductions in previous months’ totals.
- Why the job market has weakened — and what to do about it - CNBC
The labor market has weakened considerably and isn’t presenting many new opportunities for job seekers. The U.S. economy lost 13,000 jobs in June, according to the monthly jobs report issued Friday. It’s the first monthly loss since 2020. There are ways for job seekers to enhance their odds of success. Career experts said patience is key in the current market. Jobseekers during a Hospitality House career fair in San Francisco on Aug. 13, 2025. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images [...] The report piles on top of other data issued this week showing a frozen labor market for job seekers, economists said. In July, the number of unemployed people eclipsed the number of job openings for the first time since April 2021, according to BLS data issued Wednesday. [...] The outlook seems to be getting worse for job seekers. The U.S. economy added just 22,000 jobs in August, below expectations, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.3%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.