BLS Publication

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, June 23, 2026 USDL-26-1019 Technical information: Employment: (202) 691-6559 * sminfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/sae Unemployment: (202) 691-6392 * lausinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/lau Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov STATE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT - MAY 2026 Unemployment rates were lower in May in 6 states, higher in 2 states, and stable in 42 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

Article Drawing on decades of longitudinal data, this article examines how telework trends have evolved over the working lives of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) cohort. The analysis highlights changes in the frequency of working from home, with particular attention to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Telework patterns within the cohort are also examined by sex, educational attainment, race and ethnicity, and region.

The Employment Cost Index (ECI) issued its first news release 50 years ago today, covering wage and salary changes from September 1975 to March 1976. For the first time, the ECI provided a measure of compensation costs unaffected by shifts in relative employment levels in different industries, occupations, and geographic areas.

The all items Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 4.2 percent from May 2025 to May 2026. This was the largest 12-month increase since the index rose 4.9 percent over the year ended April 2023.

Transmission of material in this release is embargoed until USDL-26-0903 8:30 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, June 16, 2026 Technical information: (202) 691-7101 * MXPinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/mxp Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov U.S. IMPORT AND EXPORT PRICE INDEXES - MAY 2026 U.S. import prices increased 1.9 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, following a 2.0-percent rise in April.

In May 2026, the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3 percent. The unemployment rate has remained in a narrow range of 4.3 percent to 4.5 percent since July 2025. The number of unemployed people, at 7.3 million, changed little over the month.

Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2026, as output increased 1.0 percent and hours worked increased 0.7 percent. This is the smallest increase in nonfarm business sector labor productivity since the first quarter of 2025, when there was a 0.9-percent decrease. From the first quarter of 2025, nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 2.8 percent.

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Friday, June 12, 2026 USDL-26-0827 Technical information: (202) 691-6199 * ncsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/ecec Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * pressoffice@bls.gov EMPLOYER COSTS FOR EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION - MARCH 2026 Employer costs for employee compensation for civilian workers averaged $49.32 per hour worked in March 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 172,000 in May 2026, similar to the gain of 179,000 in April. In May, job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, local government, and health care. Employment in financial activities declined.

One way labor productivity growth occurs is when output grows at a faster rate than hours worked. In the manufacturing sector, labor productivity had been slowly declining since 2011 but saw a rebound in growth starting in 2025. Specifically, there has been a difference between output growth and growth in hours worked, the latter of which has been declining.