The US jobs market weakened further in August, raising new fears about the health of the world's largest economy.

In August, the US added just 22,000 jobs with the unemployment standing at 4.3%, the highest in nearly four years. It is the first report since President Trump fired the former head of the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the agency that compiles the report.

The weak figures will likely pave the way for the US Federal Reserve to cut interest rates later this month.

Job losses, including in the manufacturing sector, have raised alarms for some analysts as they watch how Trump's tariff policies, and stricter enforcement of immigration rules, impact the economy.

We are now ending our live coverage, but you can read more about the jobs report here.

We've now got some reaction from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

"Since President Trump took office, he has created more than half a million good-paying jobs in the private sector that have ALL gone to American-born workers," she says.

"President Trump is reshoring our manufacturing industry and the biggest companies in the world are making unprecedented investments to build here in America."

As a reminder - while today's figures did show an overall increase of 22,000 jobs in August, there was a loss of 25,000 jobs in manufacturing and construction.

Leavitt goes on to urge chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, to cut interest rates - something our reporter Natalie Sherman says is now likely.

Lisa Lambert
Reporting from Washington DC

The monthly unemployment report is one of the biggest indicators of how the entire US economy is faring. But there are smaller reports that give us hints on the state of the labour market, and this week those hints were that job growth was, at best, stalling.

Most notably, the government on Wednesday reported that there were more unemployed people in the country than job openings - the first time we've seen more job seekers than available jobs since the pandemic. The number of openings in the country was the lowest since September 2024.

Another government report, released on Thursday, showed that the number of people filing for state unemployment benefits last week rose by 8,000 to 237,000, which was higher than analysts had forecast (230,000).

The private ADP National Employment Report (ADP provides payroll systems for many employers) indicated private employment increased by only 54,000 jobs in August, half the gains it had reported for July, which many had already considered low. That report also came out on Thursday.

Then there was the "Beige Book" released by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday. This report by the central bank, which is a snapshot of the economy, had found that "firms were hesitant to hire workers because of weaker demand or uncertainty," according to Reuters.

Today's figures revealed job losses in the manufacturing sector.

And a trade group hopes the weak numbers will "spur action" in two areas.

Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, says a cut in interest rates is needed.

"Second, concluding tariff actions and trade deals to provide businesses with the certainty they need to hire, invest in new capital equipment, and realign supply chains. Manufacturing will be treading water until we see those changes," Paul said.

Jessica Murphy
Reporting from Toronto

Meanwhile in Canada, figures declined by 66,000 jobs in August. It's largely the result of a decline in part-time work, the country's national statistics agency says.

The new jobs numbers release also showed the country's unemployment rate jumped 0.2 percentage points to 7.1% last month.

That's the highest since May 2016, barring 2020 and 2021, the height of the Covid pandemic.

Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta were the provinces that saw the most decline.

Southern Ontario - a manufacturing and auto sector hub - has faced uncertainty due to sweeping US tariffs including on motor vehicle and parts exports and metals, Statistics Canada says.

Still, analysts noted that Canada's recent decision to lift many counter tariffs could cushion some of the blow to the country's economy.

Young people in Canada are especially struggling in this economy.

The summer unemployment rate for students aged 15 to 24 was 17.9%, the highest since the summer of 2009.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr / BBC

Here at the White House, we've so far seen National Economic Council Director and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer outside, doing TV hits to discuss the jobs figures.

Chavez-DeRemer rushed inside the West Wing after her TV interviews, and declined to speak to a large group of reporters who were standing nearby.

But moments before, she was on Fox Business, noting that while the jobs "underperformed, just a bit", they are "still positive".

"Almost half a million jobs have been created since the president took office," she said, instead laying the blame for the figures on the Fed and Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates.

"It's going to take some time, but when everybody is working for the American people and the American worker, and somebody chooses not to, and is instrumental in those decisions that effect the market, that effect the wage growth....do your job." She said Powell "should be embarassed" by the jobs report.

She also denied that tariffs have anything to do with the slowing job market.

"Tariffs are working," Chavez-DeRemer said. "Companies are investing in the American workforce. We're seeing consumer confidence up, and real wages up, year-over-year."

Why US stocks are rising despite a weak jobs reportpublished at 14:48 BST 5 September

14:48 BST 5 September

Michelle Fleury
New York Business Correspondent

It might seem counterintuitive: a gloomy jobs report — yet US stock markets are at record levels.

On Wall Street, this is a classic case of "bad news is good news".

Traders are betting that today’s disappointing labour market data will prompt the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates — perhaps sooner and more aggressively than previously expected.

In this context, it’s not the weakness in hiring that’s driving markets, but what that weakness could mean for the Fed's next move.

Lower interest rates typically boost the stock market — they reduce borrowing costs for companies and make equities more attractive compared to other investments like bonds.

The Fed has three more meetings scheduled this year. Investors are now pricing in a possible 25 basis point cut at the next one, on 16-17 September. And the odds of further cuts at the following meetings — once considered unlikely — are suddenly rising.

Only weeks ago, few would have expected rate cuts in October. Today, markets are saying: don't rule it out.

US markets have opened. Here's the early market reaction from the three main indexes:

• The S&P 500 is up 0.35%
• The Dow Jones is up 0.16%
• The Nasdaq is up 0.47%

The top adviser on the economy at the White House, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, tells CNBC the report is a bit of a disappointment.

He points to a section showing an increase in earnings as a positive, saying that it shows workers have more money in their pockets. The report found that over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings increased by 3.7 percent.

Hassett also believes that the August jobs gains will be revised up next month, showing bigger growth.

CNBC asks about Trump's tariffs, and if they could hurt the economy.

"The economy is definitely prepared for the tariffs," he says, and then recounts anecdotes about companies "spending billions of dollars in the US" to build factories.

"Everybody's rushing to make stuff here," he says.

Image source, EPA

Senator Elizabeth Warren says today's job report is indicative of Trump's economic policies.

"Today’s disastrous jobs report makes it increasingly clear that President Trump’s economic agenda is wrecking the labor market," Warren, the leading Democrat on the US Senate's banking committee says.

"There are now more unemployed people than job openings in the United States for the first time since the pandemic, Trump’s immigration policies are shrinking the workforce, and his chaotic tariffs are slowing down hiring."

US jobs market hits a worrying wallpublished at 14:17 BST 5 September

14:17 BST 5 September

Michelle Fleury
New York Business Correspondent

The big question ahead of today’s jobs report was: just how bad would it be?

The answer? Pretty grim.

America’s labour market is showing clear signs of strain. Job growth has slowed to its weakest pace since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic — and over the last three months, the economy has barely added any jobs at all.

Manufacturing, a sector Donald Trump has promised to revitalise, has actually lost jobs — casting doubt on the effectiveness of those efforts.

So, what does this mean for American workers?

For many jobseekers, it's getting harder to find opportunities. Wage growth is stalling, and with the hours available stuck in limbo, even those in work may struggle to make ends meet. Businesses are holding back on hiring — and while layoffs haven’t yet spiked, economists worry that could be the next shoe to drop.

The labour market isn’t collapsing — but the cracks are getting harder to ignore (making it all but certain that the Federal Reserve will act).

Lisa Lambert
BBC News

The US unemployment rate is 4.3%, the highest since it hit 4.5% in October 2021, nearly four years ago.

That was when the country, pulling itself out of the pandemic and its accompanying job losses, was seemingly trapped in rising inflation.

Still, the number is nowhere near recession-level unemployment rates, which are typically 9% and higher, and it is in line with what most Wall Street analysts and economists were expecting. The big shock remains that the country gained less than a third of the jobs that had been forecast for August.

Lisa Lambert
Reporting from Washington DC

Few sectors had job growth last month, with healthcare and social assistance notching the most gains of 48,000 jobs.

Goods-producing industries led the losses, down 25,000 jobs. That sector includes manufacturing and construction.

Economists have been warning that tariffs could hurt factories, as the prices for raw materials go up, and that Trump's immigration crackdown could lead to fewer workers on construction sites. Leisure and hospitality, which includes restaurants, though, gained 28,000 jobs.

The next biggest losses were in government, which shed 16,000 jobs.

When Trump first took office he put many federal workers on leave, and then went on to fire them or offer them incentives to resign, which put the government losses on a slower rate.

States where many federal workers live are now experiencing financial troubles from the cuts, with Washington DC's neighbour Maryland recently announcing plans to lay off workers from its government.

This is not the jobs report Trump wants to seepublished at 13:53 BST 5 September

13:53 BST 5 September

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Another month of lower-than-expected US job growth provides just the latest flashing red light for the US economy. That’s bad news for Donald Trump, even if there is a very clear political upside for him in the short term.

First, the good news for the president. The latest numbers all but guarantee that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates in its September meeting – and perhaps again in October. The national bank’s reluctance to employ its primary lever to boost the economy has been a source of aggravation for Trump – and has led to his derisive remarks about its chair, Jerome Powell. The Fed and the president are now probably on the same page on next moves, so that source of political tumult might ease.

In the long term, however, Trump’s political outlook is getting darker. He campaigned on boosting the US economy – a new American "golden age", he said. But if this is indeed a sign of troubling days to come, with more Americans worried about keeping or finding new jobs, they will punish Trump – and Republicans – at the ballot box next November.

The August job report had generated more attention than most not only because there are growing concerns about the American economy but also because of the turmoil in the government’s labour statistics bureau after Trump fired its head.

Concerns about Trump-friendly bureaucrats "cooking the books" seem to have been overstated for now. This is not the kind of jobs report that Trump would like to see.

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

Since last month's jobs report, which showed hiring slowing to a crawl in May and June, most investors have been betting that the US central bank will cut interest rates at its meeting this month.

The Federal Reserve typically cuts interest rates to support the economy, especially if unemployment seems likely to rise. So this report, which confirmed those trends, now makes a cut all but certain.

Is that a win for President Donald Trump, who has been pushing the Federal Reserve to cut rates?

Not really. Analysts blame his policies, including tariffs, an immigration crackdown and cuts to government spending, for many of the challenges.

The jobs report released today revised data for June and July.

This is a regular process, as each release is routinely updated twice, with a final revision usually published about a year later.

These revisions occur because initial reports rely on incomplete data. Experts say these numbers are often adjusted down, as failing businesses tend to report late.

The final revision - known as the annual benchmark revision - will be released next year. It will include more data, such as the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, to improve accuracy.

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

We're also looking at the updates to estimates for job creation in the previous months.

That's a mixed bag. We already knew that job creation had slowed to a crawl in May and June. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics now says the number of jobs outright contracted in June, by 13,000 positions.

However, the agency revised up its estimate for July job creation slightly, saying the most recent data showed employers added 79,000 jobs that month, compared to the previously estimated 73,000.

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

Employers in the US added just 22,000 jobs in August, while the unemployment rate crept up to 4.3%

Economists hadn't had high hopes that hiring would get back on track - but that's even fewer than expected.

We're about to get the latest US jobs data numbers. The markets will be watching this very closely since it's the first report issued since President Donald Trump fired the previous statistics chief.

The last figures showed the US added just 73,000 jobs in July.

Another bad number today could be an indicator of hard times ahead for the US economy.

Stick with as us we bring you the latest.