Labor Market and Economy Report: A Look at Trends in June 2026

U.S. employment increased by 57,000 jobs in June, falling significantly below economists’ expectations.

By industry, job gains were largely concentrated in professional and business services (+36,000), social assistance (+25,100) and healthcare (+21,500).

Revisions to prior months suggest slightly weaker job gains than initially reported. April's employment increase was revised from 179,000 to 148,000, while May's gain was revised from 172,000 to 129,000. It is worth noting that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) routinely updates employment estimates in the months following their initial release as more complete data becomes available. April's job gain was initially reported at 115,000, revised up to 179,000, and ultimately finalized at 148,000, which remains above the original estimate.

According to Lightcast data, U.S. job postings fell between May and June for most occupation groups but remained higher than a year ago. Among the jobs Aston Carter supports, the sharpest month-over-month declines in job postings were among bookkeepers/accounting clerks (-3,642), order processors and entry clerks (-2,828) and HR/labor relations specialists (-1,074). Meanwhile, demand increased over the month for jobs including tax managers (+985), financial managers (+762), scheduler/operations coordinators (+468) and procurement/sourcing managers (+322).

Average hourly earnings rose 3.5% in June, continuing a moderation in wage growth. For comparison, annual earnings growth ranged from 3.7% to 4.0% between June 2025 and February 2026.