The US economy added 139,000 non-farm jobs in May 2025, a decrease from the 147,000 jobs created in April, yet slightly above the expectations that anticipated around 125,000 new positions.

The unemployment rate remained stable at 4.2%, as reported by the Labor Department this past Friday.

Despite May's job creation figure falling marginally below the average of 149,000 jobs added over the past year, the US labor market has now seen employment gains for 53 consecutive months.

The Labor Department also revised downward the previously reported job figures for March and April, with a reduction of 95,000 jobs reflecting corrections from earlier estimates, which showed 125,000 and 147,000 jobs created, respectively.

In May, job growth continued to trend positively in the health sector, which added 62,000 jobs, exceeding the monthly average gain of 44,000 observed over the past year.

The leisure and hospitality industries contributed an additional 48,000 jobs, significantly higher than the average of 20,000 new jobs recorded over the previous year.

However, federal government employment saw a decline, losing 22,000 jobs in May, and totaling a loss of approximately 59,000 positions since January 2025.

According to the Labor Department, the total number of unemployed individuals in the United States stood at 7.2 million in May. This figure included 2.5 million individuals who were considered short-term unemployed (less than five weeks), which rose by 264,000 over the month.

Conversely, the number of long-term unemployed individuals (those without work for 27 weeks or more) decreased by 218,000 to 1.5 million.

Among various demographic groups, the unemployment rates for adult men and women were both reported at 3.9%, while the rate for teenagers was at 13.4%.

Unemployment rates for white individuals remained at 3.8%, for Black individuals at 6%, for Asian individuals at 3.6%, and for Hispanic individuals at 5.1%, showing little change throughout the month.