economy
February 12, 2026
Will 'Panican' about unemployment become a thing of the past?
In superb news, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 130,000 jobs in January, nearly triple the amount expected. In suboptimal news, the BLS also found in its annual benchmark of data that last year’s economy added only 181,000 jobs instead of the 584,000 initially estimated, amounting to 30,000 monthly job gains across 2025 instead of the preliminary estimate of 49,000.
TL;DR
- The economy added 130,000 jobs in January, exceeding expectations.
- Revised data indicates that 181,000 jobs were added last year, lower than initially estimated.
- The unemployment rate fell to 4.3% in January.
- The labor force is shrinking due to an aging population, with more people retiring than entering the workforce.
- President Trump's immigration policies have reportedly led to over 2 million immigrants leaving the country.
- Federal employment has decreased by 10.9% since President Trump took office.
- Job gains are primarily in the private sector, including healthcare, social assistance, leisure and hospitality, and construction.
- Real average weekly earnings have increased by approximately 1.5% since President Trump took office.
- Economic projections suggest no reason for panic about a slowdown, with strong GDP growth and low unemployment.
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