US Adds 130,000 Jobs in January, Revises Last Year’s Hilarious Inflation of 584,000 Down to 181,000

KEY POINTS

•The US jobs report released on February 19, 2026, was delayed five days due to a partial government shutdown.
•January added 130,000 jobs surpassing expectations, but 2025's job growth was dramatically revised from 584,000 down to 181,000.
•The decline in immigration lowered workforce growth, meaning fewer monthly jobs (under 50,000) are needed to maintain stable unemployment.

In an epic display of schedule dyslexia, the monthly jobs report showed up on a Wednesday instead of its sexy Friday slot, thanks to a partial government shutdown. January 2026 added 130,000 jobs—double the expected 65,000! Meanwhile, the unemployment rate improved slightly from 4.4% to 4.3%, causing economists to momentarily question their life choices. But wait, last year’s job growth was a giant paper tiger: revised down from 584,000 to a meager 181,000 jobs—maybe someone fat-fingered a punch card. Meanwhile, job openings fell to 6.5 million in December—the lowest since 2020—prompting workplace sage Isaac Hagen to declare the market 'more selective,' aka employers now actually care about skills. Adding to the plot twist: White House’s Peter Navarro revealed slower population growth due to historic immigration declines, pushing monthly job needs below 50,000—down from a live-wire 170,000 in 2024. Americans quitting their jobs also dipped to 2% from a robust 3% in 2022, signaling workers locked in like old bank accounts. Finally, expect revisions on revisions, because if humans are one thing, it's committed to re-reporting their numbers in ever newer, more confusing ways.

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

Jobs report shows we created twice as many jobs as expected, then slashed last year’s count by two-thirds. We're all fabulous at counting, just not the same year.

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