US nonfarm payroll employment rose by 162,000 in August while the unemployment rate held at 4.1%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report also showed a 23,000-job decline in the information industry, which includes areas such as computing infrastructure, data processing, web hosting, publishing, and broadcasting.
US nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000 in August, while the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics employment situation release published September 4.
The headline gain was higher than the average monthly gain of 31,000 over the prior 12 months, the agency said. Employment increased in food services and drinking places and in local government education, while the information industry lost jobs.
The technology-related detail
Information employment fell by 23,000 in August, following losses that averaged 8,000 per month over the prior 12 months, according to BLS. The agency said the monthly losses included computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting, related services, publishing industries, and broadcasting and content providers.
That category is broader than software companies alone, so it should not be read as a single verdict on every technology employer. It is still a useful signal because it covers parts of the infrastructure and media economy that many AI and internet businesses rely on.
Other figures from the report
The number of unemployed people was little changed at 7.0 million. Labor-force participation edged up to 61.6%, while the employment-population ratio held at 59.1%. Average hourly earnings for all private nonfarm employees rose 0.3% in August and were up 3.1% over the year, BLS said.
The agency also revised June payroll growth up by 11,000 and July growth up by 44,000. Together, those revisions added 55,000 jobs compared with the earlier estimates.
Why markets and workers watch it
The monthly employment situation report is closely watched because it informs how investors, employers, and policymakers interpret labor-market strength and inflation pressure. It does not tell a reader what to buy, sell, or expect from an individual company. Its value is in the combination of payrolls, unemployment, wages, participation, revisions, and industry detail.
For readers following technology and digital-work trends, the information-sector figure is one detail to track over several reports. A single monthly movement can be revised or offset later, particularly in a broad category that includes infrastructure, publishing, hosting, and content businesses.
Primary source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — The Employment Situation, August 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many jobs did the US add in August 2026?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000 in August 2026.
What was the unemployment rate?
The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1%, according to the BLS release.
What happened to information jobs?
BLS reported a 23,000-job decline in the information industry, including losses in computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting, publishing, and broadcasting.
The Bottom Line
The August report combined stronger headline hiring with uneven industry detail. For the technology economy, the information-sector decline is worth watching alongside later reports rather than reading one month as a final trend.
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