US employers add 130K jobs in January in strong start to 2026

Hiring in January blew past expectations, signaling that the labor market could be picking up — and likely dashing hopes for an interest rate cut at the Federal Reserve’s meeting next month.

US employers added 130,000 jobs in January – a rapid pickup in pace from December and far exceeding expectations of 55,000 jobs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday.

The unemployment rate ticked down slightly to 4.3%, from 4.4% the previous month.

Hiring in January ramped up far above expectations. Bloomberg via Getty Images

The report – which was delayed from Friday due to a partial government shutdown – is the first hint into this year’s labor market, after 2025 marked the slowest year for job growth since 2009 not counting 2020 during the pandemic.