U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Reports 172,000 Jobs Added
The positive hiring was spurred by the hospitality sector as it prepares for the World Cup
By Brian Pascus June 5, 2026 9:54 am
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The U.S. jobs rollercoaster continues in 2026.
The U.S. economy added 172,000 last month, keeping unemployment steady at 4.3 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday morning.
Many of these gains were sparked by a hiring boom across the hospitality industry, as the U.S. prepares to host the World Cup this summer. The leisure and hospitality sector added 70,000 jobs in the last month, as hotels staff professionals for the impending wave of tourists who will visit numerous U.S. cities during the one month international soccer tournament.
Compare this to last year, when leisure and hospitality added only 14,000 jobs per month, according to CNBC.
The positive jobs report comes as a surprise, as Dow Jones estimated the national would add only 80,000 in the month of May. Moreover, U.S. employers cut 92,000 jobs as recently as February, a month that marked the third time in five months the U.S. has reported negative job growth.
Things improved one month later, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an increase of 178,000 jobs in March, this despite the ongoing economic problems associated with the war in Iran.
The Trump administration has been criticized for its interference into the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Last year, Erika McEntarfer, the former head of the Bureau Labor of Statistics, was fired by President Donald Trump when less positive news was released.
McEntarfer responded by implying Trump and his team would manipulate economic data.
“Markets have to trust the data are not manipulated,” said McEntarfer. “Firing your chief statisticians for releasing data you do not like, it has serious economic consequences.”
Brian Pascus can be reached at bpascus@commercialobserver.com.
