2026.04.0312:36:21UTC+00US Jobless Rate Falls to 4.3% in March

The US unemployment rate edged down to 4.3% in March 2026 from 4.4% in February, coming in below market expectations of 4.4%. The number of unemployed persons fell by 332,000 to 7.239 million. At the same time, total employment declined by 64,000 to 162.85 million. The labor force shrank by 396,000 to 170.09 million, lowering the labor force participation rate by 0.1 percentage point to 61.9%. In contrast, the broader U-6 unemployment rate—which captures discouraged workers and those working part-time for economic reasons—ticked up to 8% from 7.9%.