New York, 4 September 2026 – A stronger-than-expected US employment report forced markets to reassess the near-term interest-rate path, sending futures linked to the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average lower before the opening bell. The economy added 162,000 nonfarm jobs in August, far above the 56,000 consensus estimate cited by market participants, while the unemployment rate remained at 4.1%. The surprise revived the possibility that resilient hiring could give the Federal Reserve room to tighten policy again.
Official labour data showed that August’s payroll gain was also well above the average monthly increase of 31,000 recorded over the preceding 12 months. Food services and drinking places added 59,000 jobs, while local government education gained 42,000. The information sector lost positions. Average hourly earnings increased by 0.3% from July to US$37.75 and were 3.1% higher from a year earlier, a combination likely to keep attention on wage-sensitive inflation.
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