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Jobs · November 6, 2026 · 2 min read

October payrolls rise 165,000; revisions add jobs as involuntary part-time work increases

By Econ Data Tools Editorial Team

Published November 6, 2026 • Updated November 6, 2026

BLS reports stronger payroll growth and upward revisions, alongside more involuntary part-time work. The household unemployment rate was 4.1%, compared with 4.2% in September.

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 165,000 in October, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on November 6. That exceeded the average monthly gain of 48,000 over the preceding twelve months. The figure is an establishment-survey estimate of jobs, not a count of unique people finding work. BLS revised August payroll growth up by 53,000 to 186,000 and September up by 31,000 to 60,000. Together, those two months now show 84,000 more jobs than previously reported. The revisions reflect additional reports and recalculated seasonal factors; they are not additional October hiring. The household survey put unemployment at 4.1%, or about 7.1 million people. BLS describes the rate as changed little; its table shows 4.2% in September and 4.1% in October, so unchanged is not the exact month-to-month comparison. Labor-force participation was 61.9%, and the employment-population ratio was 59.3%. People working part time for economic reasons increased by 339,000 to 4.8 million. These workers wanted full-time work but had reduced hours or could not find full-time jobs. This measure captures a different labor-market condition from unemployment and adds context to the stronger payroll headline. Professional and business services added 70,000 jobs, health care added 42,000, and transportation and warehousing added 25,000. Manufacturing employment continued to trend up, with a gain of 19,000. BLS reports little change in several other major industries, including construction, retail trade and government. Average hourly earnings for private nonfarm employees rose fourteen cents, or 0.4%, to $38.00 and were up 3.1% over twelve months. The average workweek remained 34.4 hours. These are nominal earnings measures, not inflation-adjusted purchasing-power gains, and the release itself does not establish a future Federal Reserve decision.

Sources

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