Employers added about 130,000 jobs in January 2026. The unemployment rate remained relatively steady at 4.3 percent. Industries that added jobs included:
- Health care
- Social assistance
- Construction
Strong healthcare employment
Healthcare employers added 82,000 jobs in January, and more than 95 percent of all new jobs in 2025 were in healthcare. New January jobs were mostly in ambulatory health care services, and also in hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities.
While most healthcare provider jobs require specific training, licenses, or certifications, you can get started as a certified nursing assistant with a few months of training (find a certified nursing assistant training program in your area; they generally last from 4 to 12 weeks). Other openings for people new to health care are in customer service positions or administrative jobs at all levels.
If you already have health care experience or credentials, visit the Job Finder to search for jobs near you. You can use the Business Finder to identify health care facilities near you.
Watch the Health Sciences overview video or Careers in Health Science video to learn more about the health care field.
Then visit the Local Training Finder to learn more about health care training and credentialing options.
Gains in social services
Jobs in social assistance also increased 42,000 in January, primarily in individual and family services. This continues an upward trend for jobs in individual and family services throughout 2025. Social assistance jobs include a wide range of human services roles focused on helping people meet their basic needs. This includes caseworkers, social workers, substance abuse counselors, and community outreach workers.
Some entry-level jobs in this field, such as social service assistants, require only a high school degree and no experience. Others, such as social workers and mental health counselors, require advanced college degrees.
Watch the Human Services overview video or Careers in Human Services video to learn more about the social assistance and human services field.
Want to know more about your local job market for social assistance opportunities? Visit the Business Finder and search for human services organizations in your area. Then visit the Job Finder to search by keyword, business name, or job title.
Gains in construction
There were 33,000 new construction jobs in January, reflecting an employment gain in nonresidential specialty trade contractors.
Learn more about the construction industry in this overview video of architecture and construction or explore architecture and construction careers.
Learn more about your local job market for construction by visiting the Job Finder to search by keyword, business name, or job title.
Declines in government and financial services jobs
In January, federal government employment continued to decline (-34,000) as some federal employees who accepted a deferred resignation offer in 2025 came off federal payrolls. Since reaching a peak in October 2024, federal government employment is down by 327,000, or 10.9 percent.
Financial activities employment declined by 22,000 in January and is down by 49,000 since reaching a recent peak in May 2025. Within the industry, insurance carriers and related activities lost 11,000 jobs over the month.
Little change in other industries
Employment in other industries remained flat in January, but employers continue to hire to fill vacancies created by turnover and retirements.
Leisure and hospitality
Restaurant and bar jobs remained steady in January.
Learn more about this field in this overview video of hospitality and tourism or explore hospitality and tourism careers.
Want to know more about your local job market for leisure and hospitality opportunities? Visit the Business Finder and search for local businesses such as restaurants, entertainment spaces, hotels, or more. Then visit the Job Finder to search by keyword, business name, or job title.
Retail
Retail trade also remined steady. Most recently, job growth in this industry has been in warehouse clubs, supercenters, and other general merchandise retailers, and in food and beverage retailers.
Work in the retail industry tends to be fast-paced and people-focused, often involving customer service, sales, and store operations (like stocking or cleaning). Retail jobs can offer flexibility but also stress from demanding customers, and schedules that might include evenings and weekends.
Most retail jobs are in person and you can search for “retail” or the type of store you are interested in at Job Finder. You can also search the Business Finder for stores and other retail opportunities near you.
Transportation and warehousing
Employment in transportation and warehousing remained steady in January. Some employers continue to hire for commercial driving jobs, which require a CDL license that can be earned in less than two months (locate a local CDL training program near you).
Learn more about this field from the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics overview video, or explore Careers in Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics.
Visit the Job Finder to search for transportation or warehousing jobs near you.
Manufacturing
The manufacturing industry includes jobs that produce products and equipment—from commercial products such as concrete, metals, chemicals, and machinery, to personal products like computers, clothing, toys, and food and beverages. Customer demand for products continues to rise, so new jobs may be more likely here in the coming months as manufacturing plants begin producing more products.
Learn more about manufacturing in this overview video of the manufacturing industry or explore manufacturing careers.
Want to know more about your local job market for opportunities in manufacturing? Visit the Business Finder and search for local employers using the keyword "manufacturing". Then visit the Job Finder to search by keyword, business name, or job title.
Professional and business services
Many jobs in this field are in management and technical consulting services, architectural and engineering services, and scientific research and development services. Many jobs in this industry can be remote or hybrid positions.
If you have experience in any of these fields, you can search local job postings, or find a remote or virtual job.
If you don't have training or experience in a professional service, there are also many work-from-home options in customer service and other areas. Try searching "customer service" or other keywords for jobs you're interested in to see what might be a good fit for you.
Education
Hiring in education also remained steady in January. View these videos to learn more about education careers: Education and training overview or Education and training careers.
Visit the Job Finder to search for education jobs near you.
Earnings
Employees' average hourly earnings rose by 15 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $37.17 in January.