U.S. adds 178K jobs in March, unemployment 4.3%
Get the Finance newsletter
Daily finance — markets, central banks, M&A, the prints that move money. Free.
- U.S. nonfarm payrolls added 178,000 jobs in March 2026, reversing a previously reported loss of 133,000 jobs in February.
- Health care sector contributed 76,000 jobs in March, representing 43% of the month’s total gains.
- Construction and transportation together added 47,000 jobs in March.
- Federal government employment fell by 18,000 jobs in March.
- Unemployment rate slipped to 4.3% (unrounded 4.25%) in March from 4.4% in February, while nearly 400,000 workers left the labor force.
- Two-year Treasury note yields rose about 5 basis points after the report, suggesting bond markets see less urgency for Fed rate cuts.
Why it matters: Workers in health care and construction see the most hiring, while federal workers lose jobs; the drop in unemployment reflects a shrinking labor force rather than stronger demand, and higher Treasury yields signal the Fed may delay rate cuts, and bond markets view the data as reducing urgency for policy easing.
