U.S. economy surpasses expectations, adds 172K jobs in May

Valletta · Jun 5, 2026

The strong employment data follows two consecutive months of solid payroll growth. On Friday, the Labor Department also revised its previous estimates upward, increasing March’s job gains by 29,000—from 185,000 to 214,000—and April’s gains by 64,000, from 115,000 to 179,000.

“President Trump and this Administration once again produced the best month of job creation since taking office, demolishing economists’ expectations. This Administration is proving the cynics wrong and American workers, families, and businesses are winning,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling in a statement.

U.S. economy surpasses expectations, adds 172K jobs in May

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that employers added 172,000 jobs in May, easily surpassing the expectations of economists polled by LSEG, who had predicted an increase of 85,000 jobs.

www.oann.com

That's roughly four times the jobs created than was anticipated!

Pommer · Jun 5, 2026

Yes, very nice, good on the Trump Administration!

Valletta · Jun 5, 2026

Pommer said:
Yes, very nice, good on the Trump Administration!View attachment 380098

Don't be misled by the government jobs created by the Biden administration or some of the grants. Many of the jobs at the Learing Center and other locations contribute nothing of value.

Pommer · Jun 5, 2026

Valletta said:
Don't be misled by the government jobs created by the Biden administration. Many of the jobs at the Learing Center and other locations contribute nothing of value.

Oh I see, I’ll delete that, then.
I wouldn’t want to drag the thread off topic by making it look like I was trying to make a point in the former President’s Administration of the labor economy.
Trump did good.

SimplyMe · Jun 6, 2026

Valletta said:
The strong employment data follows two consecutive months of solid payroll growth. On Friday, the Labor Department also revised its previous estimates upward, increasing March’s job gains by 29,000—from 185,000 to 214,000—and April’s gains by 64,000, from 115,000 to 179,000.

U.S. economy surpasses expectations, adds 172K jobs in May

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that employers added 172,000 jobs in May, easily surpassing the expectations of economists polled by LSEG, who had predicted an increase of 85,000 jobs.

www.oann.com

That's roughly four times the jobs created than was anticipated!

I can't help but wonder if this will end up like the jobs report for May, 2025. After all, that was first announced as an increase of 139,000 jobs but, looking at the revised numbers (as reflected in Pommer's chart above), only 13,000 jobs were actually created in May 2025.

It will also be interesting to see what inflation was in May, particularly since income growth was only 3.4% over the last year -- lower than the 3.8% inflation report last month. And since wholesale inflation was 6% in April, that could bode poorly for May's inflation report.

Richard T · Jun 6, 2026

It is true that not all jobs are created equal. Some jobs create more economic output (and taxes) than others. I would not argue the month was stellar but it was solid. Hiring was focused on health care, hospitality and local government. The numbers were good but not enough for a single month to lower unemployment even though the participation rate of 61.8 percent held steady. I am glad that thus far Trump has created jobs instead losing them. Trump's first term was negative because of Covid. and Biden's job growth was great because the recovery put people back to work. The biggest recent Presidential winner is Clinton, who averaged 237,00 a month.

Jobs created during U.S. presidential terms - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Valletta · Jun 6, 2026

SimplyMe said:
I can't help but wonder if this will end up like the jobs report for May, 2025. After all, that was first announced as an increase of 139,000 jobs but, looking at the revised numbers (as reflected in Pommer's chart above), only 13,000 jobs were actually created in May 2025.

It will also be interesting to see what inflation was in May, particularly since income growth was only 3.4% over the last year -- lower than the 3.8% inflation report last month. And since wholesale inflation was 6% in April, that could bode poorly for May's inflation report.

3.4% increase in average wage. Working hours went up. Job creation is booming. And oil prices are temporarily inflated because of the Iranian situation, a situation that finally is being dealt with.

Pommer · Jun 6, 2026

Valletta said:
3.4% increase in average wage. Working hours went up. Job creation is booming. And oil prices are temporarily inflated because of the Iranian situation, a situation that finally is being dealt with.

Everything’s coming up roses, except in the (former) rose garden!

Valletta · Jun 6, 2026

Pommer said:
Everything’s coming up roses, except in the (former) rose garden!

It is looking good.

SimplyMe · Jun 6, 2026

Valletta said:
3.4% increase in average wage.

Yes, again, a rate that is lower than inflation meaning people's income is actually less, in terms of purchasing power. And with a 6% wholesale inflation rate in April, particularly with the price of gasoline adding to shipping costs, we could see higher inflation rates from May and even higher as we go into summer.

Valletta said:
Working hours went up. Job creation is booming.

So the current statistics claim. Yet, we've seen for the last few years how frequently these statistics are revised downward -- much like June the May numbers were even better than this years, but they were revised down to only 13,000 jobs. Forgive me if I suspect these numbers will change in the next several months, much like the May 2025 numbers were.

Valletta said:
And oil prices are temporarily inflated because of the Iranian situation, a situation that finally is being dealt with.

Most experts say it will take a year or longer, after the war ends and the Straight is re-opened, before oil prices go back to normal. That is also only if oil companies don't try to keep prices inflated to improve their bottom lines, as the price drops. The real "kicker" though (and I seem to recall you complaining when Biden did this), Trump has been using the Federal Petroleum Reserve to keep the cost of oil down, to the point that there are only a few months worth of petroleum left in it (based on current usage). When the Petroleum Reserve runs out, particularly if the Straight is still closed, we could see a massive price spike in the cost of gasoline.

Valletta · Jun 6, 2026

SimplyMe said:
Yes, again, a rate that is lower than inflation meaning people's income is actually less, in terms of purchasing power. And with a 6% wholesale inflation rate in April, particularly with the price of gasoline adding to shipping costs, we could see higher inflation rates from May and even higher as we go into summer.

No. My point is that if a person works enough extra hours then people's income is actually MORE in terms of purchasing power. While it may not be the runaway inflation of the Biden era, the Iranian War is indeed causing an increase in the price of gasoline. We would like to make up for the Biden years and that can be done with a strong economy.

Hans Blaster · Jun 6, 2026

Valletta said:
No. My point is that if a person works enough extra hours then people's income is actually MORE in terms of purchasing power.

The income growth already includes the extra hours. It is an increase in weekly/monthly wages not hourly.

Valletta · Jun 6, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
The income growth already includes the extra hours. It is an increase in weekly/monthly wages not hourly.

The 3.4 % wage increase reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics we are discussing is the year-over-year wage increase. That is a comparison against HOURLY wages of May of the previous year. It does not take into account the extra hours worked.

SimplyMe · Jun 6, 2026

Valletta said:
No. My point is that if a person works enough extra hours then people's income is actually MORE in terms of purchasing power. While it may not be the runaway inflation of the Biden era, the Iranian War is indeed causing an increase in the price of gasoline. We would like to make up for the Biden years and that can be done with a strong economy.

The "runaway inflation" of the Biden era was COVID inflation that started under Trump, it was even made worse (causing gas prices to go up once gasoline demand went up) because Trump, based on lobbying from the oil companies, got OPEC to lower the amount of gasoline they sold. It is worth noting this was a worldwide issue (since gasoline is a global commodity), both the oil prices and inflation, and the US under Biden recovered faster than pretty much any other country.

Regardless, if this inflation and the loss of buying power had occurred under Biden, you'd be yelling how terrible it is that Americans again have to work harder to earn the same amount they could purchase under the previous administration.

notyourenemy · Jun 7, 2026

Valletta said:
My point is that if a person works enough extra hours then people's income is actually MORE in terms of purchasing power.

How many extra hours should a person already working a 40-hour week have to work?

How many extra hours would be granted by an employer?

And why should it be on the little guy, who's already struggling to keep up, to give more and more just to get what those at the top are promising?

Hans Blaster · Jun 7, 2026

Valletta said:
The 3.4 % wage increase reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics we are discussing is the year-over-year wage increase. That is a comparison against HOURLY wages of May of the previous year. It does not take into account the extra hours worked.

1. The ONAN page in the OP does not indicate the 3.4% number at all.
2. The 3.4% number is first given (w/o citation) by @SimplyMe in #6 as "income growth"
3. You quote that 3.4% number in #7 as "wage growth"

"wage growth" could be "hourly wage growth", but "income growth" is just how much money you made in the month/week. It could be a higher monthly salary, more hours, higher hourly wage -- all of them would increase income.

Since the first reference was to "income" not "wage" I will continue to assume it was not from only higher hourly wages until you can provide a citation to match you "wage growth" claim.

MarcusGregor · Monday at 6:06 AM

Keep slathering that pig with lipstick, lol! Ain't she a beut!

U.S. economy surpasses expectations, adds 172K jobs in May

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