The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday reported that gross job gains from expanding and opening private-sector establishments were 7.4 million in the first quarter of 2026. Gross job losses from contracting and closing private-sector establishments were 7.3 million, BLS said.
Gross job gains are jobs from private-sector establishments that expanded or opened. Gross job losses are jobs from private-sector establishments that contracted or closed. BLS did not say in the summary how the first-quarter totals compared with any earlier quarter.
BLS also said Wednesday that September jobless rates were down over the year in 226 of 387 metro areas. Payroll jobs were up in 11, according to the same listing. The listing did not name the metro areas or describe the size of the changes.
The latest numbers on the agency’s site put the unemployment rate at 4.2% in September 2026. Payroll employment rose by 29,000 in September. Average hourly earnings rose by $0.05.
BLS marked both the payroll figure and the earnings figure as preliminary. On the site, the letter p next to a figure means the number is preliminary.
The Consumer Price Index rose 0.6% in September 2026, the latest numbers show. The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 1.3% in September, and BLS marked that change as preliminary.
U.S. import prices rose 1.1% in September, and U.S. export prices rose 2.2%, the latest numbers show. A release dated Oct. 16, 2026, said U.S. import prices rose 1.1% in September on higher nonfuel prices. The listing did not say which nonfuel prices were higher.
The Employment Cost Index rose 0.9% in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest numbers. Productivity rose 1.4% in the second quarter of 2026. Neither figure is marked preliminary on the list.
On Oct. 21, BLS reported that median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers were $1,232 in the third quarter of 2026.
On Oct. 20, BLS said September jobless rates were down in five states. Payroll jobs were up in two states and down in one. The listing did not name the states.
A Career Outlook item on the BLS homepage says the agency projects the economy to grow by 2.1% each year, on average, from 2025 to 2035. The homepage does not say when that projection was published.