The US unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent, the lowest since February 2020, pointing to a sustained recovery in the job market helped by a fast-recovering economy and strong demand for labor. The rate was still slightly above pre-crisis levels amid reports of severe labor shortages, but should decline further in the coming months as companies fill widespread vacancies. The number of unemployed persons decreased by 483,000 to 6.3 million. source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Unemployment Rate in the United States averaged 5.76 percent from 1948 until 2021, reaching an all time high of 14.70 percent in April of 2020 and a record low of 2.50 percent in May of 1953. This page provides the latest reported value for - United States Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United States Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on January of 2022.

Unemployment Rate in the United States is expected to be 4.40 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 4.30 percent in 2023, according to our econometric models.

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United States Unemployment Rate


United States Unemployment Rate
In the United States, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
3.90 4.20 14.70 2.50 1948 - 2021 percent Monthly

Calendar GMT Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2021-12-03 01:30 PM Unemployment Rate Nov 4.2% 4.6% 4.5% 4.6%
2022-01-07 01:30 PM Unemployment Rate Dec 3.9% 4.2% 4.1% 4%
2022-02-04 01:30 PM Unemployment Rate Jan 3.9% 3.9% 3.7%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Unemployment Rate 3.90 4.20 percent Dec/21
Non Farm Payrolls 199.00 249.00 Thousand Dec/21
Government Payrolls -12.00 -21.00 Thousand Dec/21
Nonfarm Payrolls Private 211.00 270.00 Thousand Dec/21
Manufacturing Payrolls 26.00 35.00 Thousand Dec/21
Unemployed Persons 6319.00 6802.00 Thousand Dec/21
Average Hourly Earnings 0.60 0.40 percent Dec/21
Average Weekly Hours 34.70 34.70 Hours Dec/21
Labor Force Participation Rate 61.90 61.90 percent Dec/21
Long Term Unemployment Rate 1.24 1.35 percent Dec/21
Youth Unemployment Rate 8.20 8.40 percent Dec/21
Average Hourly Earnings YoY 4.70 5.10 percent Dec/21
Employment Rate 59.50 59.30 percent Dec/21


News Stream
US Jobless Rate Falls to New Pandemic Low
The US unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent, the lowest since February 2020, pointing to a sustained recovery in the job market helped by a fast-recovering economy and strong demand for labor. The rate was still slightly above pre-crisis levels amid reports of severe labor shortages, but should decline further in the coming months as companies fill widespread vacancies. The number of unemployed persons decreased by 483,000 to 6.3 million.
2022-01-07
US Jobless Rate Likely Dropped to 4.1%
The US unemployment rate likely dropped further last month to 4.1 percent, the lowest since February 2020, helped by a fast-recovering economy and strong demand for labor, and despite reports of severe labor shortages. The rate would still remain slightly above pre-crisis levels, but should decline further in the coming months as companies fill widespread vacancies. The highly anticipated jobs report will be closely watched by investors as stronger-than-expected figures could reinforce the case for early Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.
2022-01-07
US Jobless Rate Falls More than Expected
The US unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage points to 4.2 percent in November of 2021 from 4.6 percent in October and well below market expectations of 4.5 percent. It was the lowest jobless rate since February 2020, as the number of unemployed persons fell by 542,000 to 6.9 million. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate edged up to 61.8 percent in November, the highest level since March 2020, and is 1.5 percentage points lower than in February 2020. The employment-population ratio increased by 0.4 percentage points to 59.2 percent in November, up from its low of 51.3 percent in April 2020 but below 61.1 percent reported in February 2020.
2021-12-03