WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 23,000 jobs were lost in July. The overall unemployment rate dropped slightly to 4.1% in July from 4.2% in June. These job losses were contrary to economists’ expectations of around 83,000 jobs added.
The unemployment rate for women remained the same from June at 3.7%. Though the women’s unemployment rate did not change, women’s labor force participation declined. That decline corresponds with the overall labor force participation falling to 61.4% in July from 61.5% in June. Meanwhile, men’s labor force participation remained the same at 66.8% in July from 66.8% in June. Both rates for men and women are still below pre-pandemic levels.
July saw strong growth in health care, which added 22,000 jobs. Meanwhile, employment declined in local government education and retail trade.
The University of Michigan’s gauge of consumer sentiment rose to 55.2 in July, up from 49.6 in the prior month, as five-year expected business conditions hit a twelve-month high and gas prices decreased.
Patrice Onwuka, vice president for economic policy and director of Independent Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity, issued the following statement:
“The slowdown in hiring is disappointing, but there are explainable factors. Despite the headline loss of jobs, the labor force remains resilient.
“Some 50,000 jobs lost in local government education is the biggest outlier. It’s likely that teachers and administrators worked into June as school systems stayed open weeks later than normal to make up for the snow days exhausted earlier in the year from massive snowstorms earlier this year. We also expected attrition in the leisure and hospitality industries as the last whistle blew on the 2026 FIFA World Cup last month. Restaurants, bars, and hotels gained a tremendous economic boost from the tourism of the global soccer competition, but that has come to an end.”
“Women can still point to bright spots in the workforce, such as steady and robust healthcare and social assistance hiring. Also, economic analysis this week found that over 80% of jobs created during this Trump term went to women. Pro-growth agenda policies of cutting taxes and deregulation unleash small businesses and corporations to grow even as firms grapple with the tradeoffs created by trade and immigration policies.”
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