US economy added 178,000 jobs in March, well above expectations

This story about the March 2026 jobs report is developing and will be updated with more details.

The U.S. economy added jobs in March as the labor market rebounded after it unexpectedly shed jobs a month ago.

What are the key findings of the March 2026 jobs report?

The Labor Department on Friday reported that employers added 178,000 jobs in March. That figure was well above the expectations of economists polled by LSEG, who predicted a gain of 60,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate declined slightly to 4.3%, which was slightly lower than the 4.4% projected by LSEG economists.

Revisions were made to the payroll numbers for the prior two months, with January’s report revised up by 34,000 jobs from a gain of 126,000 to 160,000; while February’s report was revised down by 41,000 jobs from a loss of 92,000 to 133,000.

Taken together, employment in January and February was 7,000 jobs lower than previously reported.