Operational Updates

Labor Secretary issues statement on December 2025 jobs report

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Key takeaways

  • Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer released a statement on the December 2025 Employment Situation Report on January 9, 2026 (Release Number 26-71-NAT).
  • The statement says "over 650,000 jobs" have been added since President Trump took office and credits the administration for 2025 job growth.
  • The statement reports wage growth of 4.1% in the last three months and says inflation has fallen to its lowest level in nearly five years.
  • The statement asserts that net job growth has occurred in the private sector among American-born workers and that GDP is "booming."
  • The Department of Labor said it will continue efforts to execute President Trump’s mission to "put American Workers First" in 2026.
  • Media contact listed: Courtney Parella, (202) 693-4676, parella.courtney.e@dol.gov.

Follow Up Questions

What is the Employment Situation Report and which agency produces it?Expand

The Employment Situation Report is the U.S. government’s main monthly “jobs report.” It summarizes how many people are working or looking for work, how many jobs employers have on their payrolls, the unemployment rate, hours worked, and average earnings. It is produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), an agency within the Department of Labor, using two national surveys: the household (CPS) and establishment (CES) surveys.

How is the figure of "over 650,000 jobs added since he took office" calculated and what time period does it cover?Expand

The statement does not spell out the calculation, but figures like “over 650,000 jobs added since he took office” are typically based on the change in total nonfarm payroll employment from the time a president is inaugurated to the latest month, using seasonally adjusted data from the BLS establishment survey (CES) in the Employment Situation. For 2025, the official BLS release reports that total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 584,000 between December 2024 and December 2025, which is less than 650,000; that implies the 650,000 figure is using a different start date (for example, a trough earlier in 2025) or an internal series that is not clearly documented in the public statement. The precise time period and method for the “over 650,000” figure cannot be independently confirmed from public data.

Does the 4.1 percent wage growth figure refer to nominal wages or real (inflation-adjusted) wages?Expand

The 4.1 percent wage growth figure almost certainly refers to nominal (not inflation‑adjusted) wages. In the Employment Situation, wages come from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey as “average hourly earnings,” which are reported in current dollars and are not adjusted for inflation. Real (inflation‑adjusted) wage changes are published separately in BLS “Real Earnings” releases, not in the topline jobs report. The statement does not indicate that an inflation adjustment was applied, so it should be understood as nominal wage growth.

Which inflation measure is being referenced when the statement says inflation is at its "lowest level in nearly five years"?Expand

The wording closely matches a White House communication that said “core inflation is at a new multi‑year low” and that inflation was at its “lowest level in nearly five years,” referring specifically to core inflation (which excludes food and energy) measured by the Consumer Price Index (core CPI). That claim was based on November 2025 CPI data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing core CPI at its lowest 12‑month rate since early 2021. So, in context, the statement is referencing core CPI, not headline CPI or the PCE price index.

What does the statement mean by "net job growth...among American-born workers"—are immigrant workers excluded from that measure?Expand

“All net job growth has continued to take place in the private sector among American-born workers” means that, over the period they are describing, when you separate workers by nativity, the increase in employment is attributed entirely to people born in the United States (native‑born workers), while employment of foreign‑born workers is flat or down. Immigrant workers are not literally excluded from the labor data—the BLS household survey counts both native‑ and foreign‑born workers—but the administration is highlighting a comparison of employment changes by nativity and focusing only on the positive net change for U.S.-born workers. The statement does not provide the underlying tabulations, so the exact calculation cannot be independently verified from the release itself.

What specific policies or actions will the Department of Labor pursue in 2026 to "put American Workers First"?Expand

The news release does not list concrete 2026 policy steps. More detailed planning documents from the Department of Labor and the administration frame “put American Workers First” as a broad agenda rather than a single program. Related 2026 planning materials emphasize:

  • Reshaping workforce and apprenticeship programs toward higher‑wage skilled trades and manufacturing.
  • Tighter enforcement of labor standards and work visa rules framed as protecting domestic workers.
  • Reorienting training, veterans’ employment, and Job Corps programs toward priority industries identified by the administration. However, no specific new regulations or initiatives for 2026 are itemized in this particular statement, so the exact actions remain unclear from the public release alone.
Where can the full December 2025 Employment Situation Report and the underlying data be accessed?Expand

The full December 2025 Employment Situation Report and data are available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

  • Complete news release (HTML): the December 2025 Employment Situation (released January 9, 2026).
  • PDF version of the release: downloadable from both BLS and the Department of Labor economic data page.
  • Underlying data tables: historical series for the household (A tables) and establishment (B tables) surveys, accessible via the BLS “Employment Situation” tables and data download tools.

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