U.S. adds just 57,000 jobs in June, a worrying sign as wage growth remains slow ^54.3%

NBC News - By Steve Kopack - 7/2/2026, 4:00 PM

Negativity Bias 27.3% - Framing Effect 26.3% - Pessimism Bias 18.3%

The U.S. economy added just 57,000 jobs in June, a worrying sign for labor market stability as wage growth tracked below inflation for a third consecutive month. In June, average hourly earnings increased by 3.5%, which remains far below the most recent inflation reading of 4.2%. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.2% from 4.3%.... more