U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in August, beating expectations

NPR | By Scott Horsley

Published September 4, 2026 at 3:18 PM CDT

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U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in August, beating expectations. The news could give the Federal Reserve more leeway to raise interest rates later this month to curb stubborn inflation.

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Scott Horsley

Scott Horsley is NPR's Chief Economics Correspondent.

See stories by Scott Horsley