Unemployment rate

The unemployment rate measures the share of the labor force that is jobless, available, and actively looking for work or, in the United States, on temporary layoff. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the official figure, known as U-3, with the NFP, often on the first Friday of the month at 8:30 a.m. New York time, which is 2:30 p.m. in Paris most of the year. It comes from a sample survey of about 60,000 households, separate from the one that counts jobs created: the two numbers can contradict each other. The broader U-6 measure adds involuntary part-time workers, among others. In October 2026, the official rate was 4.1%. A larger-than-expected rise, a sign of a loosening labor market, can lead markets to anticipate a cut in the Fed’s policy rate if inflation allows. Markets also track the rate in the euro area (Eurostat), the United Kingdom (ONS), and Canada (Statistics Canada, often on the same Friday as the NFP). Upcoming releases: the economic calendar.