The U.S. job market is flashing a warning sign you shouldn't ignore

"If hunting for a job this year feels punishing, you're not alone-and new employment numbers back that up. New data from the Labor Department shows that in 2025, the American economy is starting to fray at the seams. For the first time since late 2020, the U.S. is losing jobs. A revision to June's employment report revealed that in 2025, the U.S. actually lost 13,000 jobs that month."

"The previous report showed a gain of 14,000 jobs, a figure that was revised down by 27,000 jobs lost in the new report. July's data was revised up by 6,000 to 79,000 jobs gained that month, but the June dip into negative territory is an ominous red flag for the American economy that captures what many job seekers are seeing on the ground in 2025."

"The jobs report is the first since President Trump fired the director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics over an unfavorable report that showed slow hiring in July and adjusted numbers in prior months downward. "In my opinion, today's Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad," Trump said on Truth Social, after firing the longtime government employee."

"In August, U.S. employers added just 22,000 jobs as unemployment inched up to 4.3%, the highest rate since 2021. When setting the pandemic-era unemployment spike aside as an outlier, last month saw the largest share of Americans unemployed since September 2017. According to the report, more than 25% of unemployed workers have been without a job for longer than a six month stretch."

Mid-2025 employment revisions revealed weakness in the U.S. labor market: June was revised to a 13,000-job loss after being reported as a 14,000 gain, a 27,000 downward adjustment. July was revised up by 6,000 to 79,000 jobs, but June's drop signals slowing hiring. In August, employers added 22,000 jobs while unemployment rose to 4.3%, the highest since 2021; excluding the pandemic outlier, unemployment was the largest since September 2017. Over 25% of unemployed workers have been jobless more than six months. The situation prompted the firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics director and presidential claims that jobs numbers were rigged, alongside criticism of Federal Reserve rate policy.

Read at Fast Company