'A blowout': US added 165,000 jobs in October, trouncing expectations

Yahoo Finance · Claire Boston · 2026-11-06 14:06 UTC

Economists expected a gain of 70,000 jobs last month.

The US added 165,000 jobs in October, blowing past economists' expectations, as the labor market showed strength despite the Federal Reserve's recent rate hikes.

The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% amid a slight increase in labor force participation. September's underwhelming jobs report of 29,000 additions was also revised upward to 60,000 jobs.

"Consistent with prior, more partial indicators of the US labor market, the October Jobs Report came in very strong, across the board," economist Mohamed El-Erain posted on X.

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