Jobs report March 2026:
“TSA Is Hiring” signage at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Matthew Hatcher | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The U.S. labor market bounced back in March, with job creation much stronger than expected though the broader picture of a slow-growth labor market held intact.
Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 178,000 during the month, a reversal from the 133,000 decline in February and better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 59,000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. February’s number was revised down by 41,000 while January was revised up by 34,000 to 160,000, putting the three-month average around 68,000.
With job creation higher, the unemployment rate edged lower to 4.3%.
As has been the case, health care was responsible for much of the growth, with the sector adding 76,000. A strike at health-care provider Kaiser Permanente in February took 31,000 off that month’s total and has since been settled.
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