Private-sector employers in the US added 98,000 jobs in June 2026, down from 122,000 in May and below market expectations of 113,000. Education and health services led job creation with a gain of 48,000 positions, followed by trade, transportation, and utilities (+15,000), financial activities (+14,000), and information (+7,000). Leisure and hospitality posted a sixth consecutive month of weak hiring, adding just 2,000 jobs. Modest increases were also recorded in professional and business services (+2,000), construction (+2,000), and manufacturing (+5,000), while natural resources and mining cut 5,000 jobs.
By firm size, small businesses added 53,000 positions, medium-sized companies 29,000, and large firms 25,000. “The pace of hiring is telling a story of both supply and demand. We know it’s taking people longer to find work, but there also are signs of labor supply constraints in certain industries. For now, the overall effect is a slowdown in job creation,” said Dr. Nela Richardson, Chief Economist at ADP.
Meanwhile, annual pay growth for workers who stayed in their jobs held steady at 4.4%, while wage gains for job changers inched up to 6.6%.