US employers added 147,000 jobs in June despite Trump's tariffs, federal layoffs and immigration crackdown; unemployment at 4.1%

The steady slowdown in U.S. hiring likely continued in June as President Donald Trump’s trade wars, federal hiring freeze and immigration crackdown weighed on the American job market.

Hiring rose modestly from a revised 144,000 in May and beat economists’ expectations of fewer than 118,000 new jobs and a rise in the unemployment rate The U.S. job market has cooled considerably from the red-hot days of 2021-2023 when the economy bounced back with unexpected strength from COVID-19 lockdowns and companies were desperate for workers.