The U.S. labor market started 2025 — and President Trump's term — in a state of uncanny balance. Why it matters: Unemployment is low and steady, and job growth is chugging consistently forward. It's an environment that allows policymakers at the Federal Reserve and beyond to be patient in deciding what to do next.

The Labor Department has released its first jobs report of the year, covering January 2025. It shows that payrolls grew by 143,000 - somewhat lower than economists’ expectations of 175,000. On the other hand, payroll growth for the end of 2024 was revised up quite a bit. Over the past 3 months, payroll growth has averaged a very strong 234,000.

The U.S. economy added fewer jobs in January than economists had forecast, although the jobless rate edged lower.

January job growth in the United States in January dropped drastically from December numbers and fell short of analysts' expectations according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday.

The U.S. added 143,000 jobs in January, fewer than economists expected, but the unemployment rate inched down to 4% from 4.1%, beating forecasts and still near historic lows.

US jobs growth slowed in January, according to the latest official figures, but the rate of unemployment declined. Employers created 143,000 jobs last month, compared with analyst's forecasts of about 170,

The gain in jobs was less than economists had expected, but the job counts for November and December were revised upward by a combined 100,000