US Employers Add 114,000 Monthly Jobs as 3.1% Separations Undercut Weak 3.2% Hiring
Updated
Updated · Indeed Hiring Lab · Jun 18
US Employers Add 114,000 Monthly Jobs as 3.1% Separations Undercut Weak 3.2% Hiring
1 articles · Updated · Indeed Hiring Lab · Jun 18
Summary
114,000 jobs a month were added on average in the first five months of 2026, more than triple the roughly 36,000 pace over the same period in 2025.
A 3.2% April hires rate—near its weakest since 2013—still produced net job growth because the separation rate fell even lower to 3.1%, with quits, layoffs and discharges dropping faster than hiring.
That leaves total hiring in 2026 below 2025 levels even as payrolls rise, pointing to a labor market driven more by workers staying put than by employers stepping up recruitment.
Late 2025 showed how fragile that balance can be: job growth turned negative when separations exceeded hires, and any rebound in quits or layoffs could quickly soften upcoming payroll reports.