The U.S. added 165,000 jobs in October, a bright spot for the economy

NBC News · Steve Kopack · 2026-11-06 13:33 UTC

The economy added jobs in October, showing that a labor market which has troubled consumers for much of the year remained stable, but did not gain momentum.

The U.S. economy added 165,000 jobs in October, in a surprise that far outpaced expectations by economists and analysts.

The unemployment rate in October dropped to 4.1%, extending a near historically-low streak.

“Through September 2026, the US labor market had kept unemployment below 5% for 61 straight months,” wrote Apollo Global Management chief economist Torsten Slok on Friday. He noted that the labor market was “on the verge of becoming the longest period of sustained labor market strength in modern US history.”

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