January jobs report shows unexpectedly hot start to 2026 as unemployment rate tumbles to 4.3%

The Bureau of Labor released the January jobs report, which had been delayed due to the brief partial government shutdown earlier this month, on Wednesday and the numbers surprised analysts. The U.S. economy added 130,00 jobs in January, the strongest monthly job growth since late 2024, according to The Wall Street Journal. The total number of jobs added in January more than doubled economists' expectations for job growth in January, CNBC reported, and nearly tripled December's tepid job growth.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate inched down to 4.3%, also defying the expectations of Wall Street analysts, who expected it to remain flat at 4.4%. In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump celebrated the encouraging jobs numbers. "GREAT JOBS NUMBERS, FAR GREATER THAN EXPECTED!" the president said, renewing his calls for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. "The Golden Age of America is upon us!!!" Trump added. 

Wall Street analysts welcomed the news also. “It was a January job surge," Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, told CNBC. “The surprisingly strong job gains in January were driven mainly by health care and social assistance. But it is enough to stabilize the job market and send the unemployment rate slightly lower."

News of the strong jobs numbers come on the heels of the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing above 50,000 for the first time ever on Friday, and then going on to post marginal gains both on each of the next two trading days to set all-time record highs on three consecutive days. 

During his Super Bowl interview with NBC News over the weekend, Trump took ownership of the U.S. economy when Tom Llamas asked, “At what point are we in the Trump economy?”

“I’d say we’re there now,” Trump said. “I’m very proud of it.”

A year into his second term, the president talked about inheriting an economy that was in shambles after four years of the Biden administration, and pointed to several factors that he says show why Americans should be bullish on an economic comeback in the U.S. Trump went on to say that Americans will begin noticing job growth, particularly in the construction sector. Indeed, in the January jobs report, the construction sector saw an increase of 33,000 jobs, third best sector in the report behind the healthcare and social assistance sectors. Watch a highlight of Trump speaking with NBC News below.