Washington– US employment was essentially unchanged at 6.9 million, another sign that US employment remained sluggish even before the full impact of the Iran war hit the economy.
The job market has had its ups and downs so far this year after a dismal 2025. The Iran war has cast a shadow over the economic and employment prospects.
The Job Opportunities and Labor Turnover Survey showed that layoffs rose in March. But employment has improved, and more people have quit their jobs — a sign of confidence in the economy.
Job openings have declined fairly steadily since peaking at a record high of 12.3 million in March 2022 as the U.S. economy recovered from coronavirus lockdowns. Interest rates rise, in response to the explosion in inflation in 2021-2022; Uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s policies; The disruptive impact of AI has likely discouraged aggressive hiring.
Last year, employers added less than 10,000 jobs a month, the weakest hiring outside of a recession since 2002. So far in 2026, the rate of job creation has been rising — strong in January (160,000 new jobs) and March (178,000 jobs) but weak in February when employers cut 133,000 jobs.
The Labor Department releases its April jobs report on Friday. According to a survey of forecasters by data firm FactSet, it is expected to show that businesses, nonprofits and government agencies added a flat net 57,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate remained at a low of 4.3%.