U.S. Adds 162,000 Jobs in August as Manufacturing and Construction Hiring Rises

The U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs in August, with manufacturing and construction among the sectors posting gains, according to employment figures highlighted Friday by the White House.

The August increase came in well above economists’ expectations and represented one of the strongest months for job creation so far during President Donald Trump’s second term.

The White House pointed to the report as evidence that the administration’s economic policies are encouraging private investment and bringing more manufacturing activity to the United States.

“America added 162,000 jobs in August — triple economists’ expectations,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement accompanying the report.

Desai said more than 1 million private-sector jobs have been created since Trump returned to office and attributed growth in manufacturing and factory construction to the administration’s economic agenda.

The White House’s statements about the causes of the employment gains represent the administration’s interpretation of the economic data. Monthly employment figures themselves do not establish whether a particular presidential policy caused individual employers to add or eliminate jobs.

Several economists quoted by national news organizations, however, characterized the August employment numbers as notably strong.

Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, called it a “wow” jobs report in comments reported by CBS News.

Fitch Ratings Head of U.S. Economics Olu Sonola described the report as “unequivocally strong,” according to Bloomberg.

Manufacturing was one of the areas drawing particular attention.

Manufacturers added 16,000 jobs during August, according to figures cited by the White House. The administration said that represented the strongest monthly increase in manufacturing employment in three years.

Manufacturing employment has increased by 58,000 jobs this year, according to the figures provided by the White House.

The administration linked that growth to increased investment in areas including pharmaceutical and defense production, semiconductor plants and data centers.

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett argued that Trump’s tariffs and tax policies are encouraging businesses to shift activity to the United States and invest in new facilities.

“Tariffs are making people onshore activity; the expensing is making people want to invest like crazy, and that’s creating construction jobs and also beginning to show up in factory jobs,” Hassett said.

Council of Economic Advisers Chair Chris Phelan similarly pointed to manufacturing and nonresidential construction as signs of increased investment.

“The manufacturing boom — the non-residential construction boom — is real, and it’s showing up in the data,” Phelan said.

Those comments reflect administration officials’ assessment of the reasons behind the changes in employment.

Construction also recorded job growth in August.

The sector added 22,000 jobs during the month, according to figures cited in the White House report.

The administration said factory construction employment has increased by nearly 100,000 jobs since the beginning of Trump’s second term, tying the increase to companies building or expanding production facilities in the United States.

Economists outside the administration also noted the gains in manufacturing and construction.

Sonu Varghese, chief macro strategist at Carson Group, said August payroll growth was strong across a range of industries.

“August payrolls were strong across the board, including in cyclical sectors like construction and manufacturing,” Varghese said in comments reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Steve Moore, an economist quoted by the White House, emphasized the same sectors.

“It’s blue-collar jobs — construction and manufacturing,” Moore said. “We’re building things again in America.”

The August report also showed more people entering or returning to the labor force.

The labor force participation rate — which measures the share of the population that is either working or actively looking for work — increased to 61.6% in August, according to figures cited by Bloomberg.

The White House described the increase as the greatest improvement in participation in nearly a year.

The administration also reported that unemployment among college graduates remained at 2.7% and that Black unemployment declined for a second consecutive month.

Wages continued to rise as well.

Average weekly earnings for private-sector workers increased during August and were 3.7% higher than a year earlier, according to figures cited by the White House.

Economist Mohamed El-Erian said the report showed strength on both the employer and worker sides of the labor market.

“The latest US jobs report came in significantly stronger than expected across both sides of the labor market: demand and supply,” El-Erian said.

He said the figures pointed to a labor market with continued employer demand and signs of stabilization in the supply of available workers.

Chris Rupkey, chief economist at Fwdbonds, also offered a positive assessment of the numbers in comments reported by CNBC.

“Net, net, the labor market is alive and well and generating thousands of new jobs to help keep economic growth squarely in the plus column,” Rupkey said.

The White House placed particular emphasis on the balance between private-sector and federal employment.

According to the administration, more than 1 million private-sector jobs have been created during Trump’s second term, while federal employment has fallen to what the White House described as its lowest share of the workforce on record.

The administration presented that combination as evidence that private businesses, rather than growth in federal employment, are responsible for the recent hiring gains.

White House officials also argued that Trump’s tariffs, tax policies and efforts to encourage domestic manufacturing are beginning to produce measurable changes in the economy.

Economists will continue watching future employment reports to determine whether August’s stronger hiring represents a sustained acceleration or a particularly strong month.

Monthly jobs figures can fluctuate considerably and are subject to later revisions as additional information becomes available.

The August numbers nevertheless produced an immediate reaction because they exceeded expectations.

CNN senior reporter Matt Egan noted that the 162,000-job increase was more than twice the consensus forecast and represented the largest monthly increase since March.

KPMG Chief Economist Diane Swonk described the report as a “summer heat wave,” while other economists highlighted the return of workers to the labor force and the breadth of hiring across industries.

For the Trump administration, Friday’s numbers offered an opportunity to argue that its economic agenda is producing results in areas it has prioritized, particularly domestic manufacturing, construction, and private-sector employment.

The strength of the August report itself drew broad attention. The longer-term question will be whether manufacturing, construction, wage and overall employment gains continue through the remaining months of 2026.