Jobs numbers in May rose by 139,000, more than expected, as President Donald Trump has been implementing his agenda for the United States with the use of tariffs and trade deals.
Trump posted on Truth Social, "GREAT JOB NUMBERS, STOCK MARKET UP BIG! AT THE SAME TIME, BILLIONS POURING IN FROM TARIFFS!!!"
According to a press release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), "Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 139,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2 percent." In the areas of healthcare, hospitality, and social assistance, job numbers increased. In contrast, government jobs continued to decrease in May, perhaps in step with the moves from the Trump administration to downsize the role and scope of the federal government.
According to CNBC, the jobs increase surpassed the expected 125,000 projected by the Dow Jones. However, there were revisions of jobs number down in both March and April.
"The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for March was revised down by 65,000, from +185,000 to +120,000, and the change for April was revised down by 30,000, from +177,000 to +147,000," the BLS added in the release.
In addition to the job gains, there has been a leveling-off of the foreign-born labor force as the labor force among native-born Americans has continued to climb, per the BLS, perhaps indicating that the Trump administration's policies on immigration have had an impact on hiring in America.
White House Director of Policy Communications Jacki Kotkiewicz pointed to the trends and wrote on X, "Under President Trump, native-born workers have accounted for ALL employment gains."
"Foreign-born employment: -195k. Native born employment: +1,249k"
"Over a similar period in Biden’s final two years in office, native-born Americans accounted for just ONE-THIRD of gains," she added.