Job growth was stronger than expected to start 2026, providing some relief to concerns about the state of the U.S. labor market. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 130,000 for January, above the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 55,000, according to seasonally adjusted figures the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Wednesday. The total also was an improvement…
A ‘now hiring’ sign is displayed in a business’s window in Manhattan on Jan. 9, 2026, in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images The jobs report Wednesday could resemble a big nothing, in more ways than one. Economists expect that January’s nonfarm payrolls report will show growth that was nil or not much…
Consumer activity slowed sharply for the December holiday shopping season amid a spate of rough weather, tariff impact and persistently higher inflation, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Retail sales were flat on the month following a 0.6% increase in November, according to numbers adjusted for seasonality but not inflation. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had…
An Amazon Go store in New York, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images Layoff plans hit their highest January total since the global financial crisis while hiring intentions reached their lowest since the same period, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported Thursday. U.S. employers announced 108,435 layoffs…
TOPSHOT – US President Donald Trump (L) and China’s President Xi Jinping arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base, located next to the Gimhae International Airport in Busan on October 30, 2025. Andrew Caballero-reynolds | Afp | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had a “long and thorough call” with…
A ‘help wanted’ advertisement is displayed in Manhattan on Jan. 9, 2026, in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images The January jobs report delayed by the brief government shutdown will be released next week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday. The closely watched report now will come out Feb. 11, five days…
The U.S. labor market barely budged in January, with hiring below even muted expectations, according to a report Wednesday from payrolls processing firm ADP. Private companies added just 22,000 positions for the month and the number would have been negative had it not been for a surge of 74,000 hires in the education and health…
President Donald Trump greets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House in Washington, Monday, June 26, 2017. Alex Brandon | AP U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement Monday that he has agreed a trade deal with India comes hot on the heels of Europe’s own trade agreement with New Delhi, signaling Washington is not…
The US Department of Labor headquarters building is seen at dusk on June 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. J. David Ake | Getty Images News | Getty Images The Bureau of Labor Statistics will not be releasing the January jobs report as scheduled Friday due to the partial government shutdown, a department spokesman confirmed Monday….
China’s President Xi Jinping (R) and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer shake hands before their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on January 29, 2026. Carl Court | Afp | Getty Images Chinese businesses have pledged hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of investment in the U.K. and struck new partnerships…