Unemployment & Jobs
Labor market data, unemployment claims, and what hiring trends signal about the direction of the economy.
The unemployment rate measures the share of the labor force that is jobless and actively seeking work, and is one of the Federal Reserve's two statutory mandates alongside price stability. In the U.S., the headline rate comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly jobs report, alongside nonfarm payrolls (net jobs added or lost) and wage growth — together these three figures are among the most market-moving economic releases each month. A rising unemployment rate can signal a cooling economy and often precedes interest-rate cuts, while a very low rate can fuel wage-driven inflation pressure, which is why labor-market data is read alongside inflation figures rather than in isolation.
