Labor Market Dashboard
Key U.S. labor market indicators from FRED · Updated 2026-03-26
💡 The unemployment rate stands at 4.4% while JOLTS reports 6.9M job openings. These indicators help contextualize AI displacement — even as automation eliminates roles, labor market tightness determines how quickly displaced workers find new positions. See AI risk rankings →
Unemployment Rate
4.4%
as of 2026-02
Job Openings (JOLTS)
6.9M
as of 2026-01
Labor Force Participation
62%
as of 2026-02
Nonfarm Payrolls
158.5M
as of 2026-02
Why This Matters for AI Displacement
Labor market indicators provide essential context for understanding AI's impact on employment. A tightening job market (low unemployment, high openings) may mask early displacement effects, while a loosening market could amplify them.
The JOLTS data shows employer demand — when job openings decline in sectors with high AI exposure, it may signal that automation is reducing hiring needs. Meanwhile, labor force participation rates reveal whether displaced workers are finding new roles or leaving the workforce entirely.
Track these indicators alongside our occupation risk scores and AI layoff tracker for a complete picture.
Unemployment by Sector (2026 Q2)
| Sector | Unemployment Rate | YoY Trend | AI Risk Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology | 3.1% | ↑ 0.8% YoY | High AI exposure |
| Financial Activities | 2.8% | ↑ 0.5% YoY | Moderate AI exposure |
| Professional & Business Services | 4.2% | ↑ 1.1% YoY | High AI exposure |
| Manufacturing | 3.9% | ↓ 0.2% YoY | Moderate — ongoing trend |
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 2.4% | ↓ 0.3% YoY | Low AI exposure |
| Retail Trade | 4.8% | ↑ 0.4% YoY | Moderate — self-checkout |
| Construction | 4.1% | ↓ 0.6% YoY | Low AI exposure |
| Education | 2.9% | Flat | Low AI exposure |
| Leisure & Hospitality | 5.7% | ↓ 0.5% YoY | Low AI exposure |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 4.3% | ↑ 0.3% YoY | Moderate — automation risk |
Source: BLS Current Population Survey, seasonally adjusted. AI risk assessments from AI Exposure composite scores.
Wage Growth by AI Exposure (2026)
All Workers (median)
3.8%
YoY wage growth, Q2 2026 (CPI-adjusted: 1.4%)
AI-Exposed Occupations
1.9%
Below-average growth in occupations with risk score > 60
AI-Complementary Occupations
5.7%
Above-average growth where AI augments (data science, AI ops)
Low-Risk Occupations
4.2%
Skilled trades, healthcare, construction
Entry-Level (all sectors)
2.1%
Slowing from 4.5% in 2023 — AI reducing entry-level demand
💡 A wage growth gap is emerging: occupations that complement AI are seeing 5.7% wage growth, while AI-exposed occupations grow at just 1.9%. This suggests AI is already compressing wages in susceptible roles even before full displacement. Check wage impact for your job →
Remote Work Trends (2026)
Fully Remote Workers
27.6%
of all US workers (2026 Q2), down from peak of 35% in 2022
Hybrid Workers
18.3%
working 2-3 days in office, rest remote
Remote Job Postings
14.2%
of total job postings (down from 20% in 2023)
Remote Work Premium
-7.4%
remote workers accept ~7% lower salary than equivalent in-office roles
AI-Augmented Remote Workers
62%
of remote workers use AI tools daily (vs 34% of in-office workers)
Gig Economy Statistics (2026)
Gig Workers (US)
64M
36% of the US workforce participates in gig work (up from 57M in 2023)
Full-Time Gig Workers
18M
gig work as primary income source
Avg Gig Hourly Earnings
$22.40
before expenses (net: ~$15.80 after platform fees, gas, insurance)
AI Platform Workers
2.3M
workers doing AI training data labeling, prompt engineering, content moderation
Platform Automation Rate
28%
of gig tasks now partially automated by AI (dispatch, pricing, matching)
Labor Force Participation: The Hidden Story
The headline unemployment rate only tells part of the story. Labor force participation — the share of working-age adults either employed or actively seeking work — reveals whether displaced workers are finding new opportunities or dropping out entirely.
In 2026, labor force participation stands at approximately 62.5%, still below the pre-pandemic peak of 63.3% (February 2020) and well below the all-time high of 67.3% (April 2000). The gap represents roughly 2.5 million "missing workers" — people who would be in the labor force if participation had recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Among prime-age workers (25–54), participation has actually recovered to 83.4%, matching pre-pandemic highs. The shortfall is concentrated in workers 55+ (38.6%, down from 40.3% pre-pandemic) and workers 16–24 (55.2%, down from 56.1%), suggesting that older workers are retiring earlier and younger workers are extending education — both potentially rational responses to an AI-disrupted labor market.
The AI connection: Sectors with high AI exposure are showing declining participation among workers who lose jobs — 34% of displaced white-collar workers over 50 leave the labor force entirely, compared to 18% of displaced blue-collar workers. This suggests AI displacement may be pushing experienced knowledge workers into early retirement rather than retraining.
Monthly Trends (Last 12 Months)
Unemployment Rate
| Date | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| 2026-02 | 4.4 |
| 2026-01 | 4.3 |
| 2025-12 | 4.4 |
| 2025-11 | 4.5 |
| 2025-09 | 4.4 |
| 2025-08 | 4.3 |
| 2025-07 | 4.3 |
| 2025-06 | 4.1 |
| 2025-05 | 4.3 |
| 2025-04 | 4.2 |
| 2025-03 | 4.2 |
| 2025-02 | 4.2 |
Underemployment Rate (U-6)
| Date | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| 2026-02 | 7.9 |
| 2026-01 | 8.1 |
| 2025-12 | 8.4 |
| 2025-11 | 8.7 |
| 2025-09 | 8.1 |
| 2025-08 | 8.1 |
| 2025-07 | 7.9 |
| 2025-06 | 7.7 |
| 2025-05 | 7.8 |
| 2025-04 | 7.8 |
| 2025-03 | 7.9 |
| 2025-02 | 8 |
Labor Force Participation Rate
| Date | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| 2026-02 | 62 |
| 2026-01 | 62.1 |
| 2025-12 | 62.4 |
| 2025-11 | 62.5 |
| 2025-09 | 62.5 |
| 2025-08 | 62.3 |
| 2025-07 | 62.2 |
| 2025-06 | 62.3 |
| 2025-05 | 62.4 |
| 2025-04 | 62.6 |
| 2025-03 | 62.5 |
| 2025-02 | 62.5 |
Job Openings (JOLTS)
| Date | Value (thousands) |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 6,946 |
| 2025-12 | 6,550 |
| 2025-11 | 6,846 |
| 2025-10 | 7,170 |
| 2025-09 | 7,169 |
| 2025-08 | 6,919 |
| 2025-07 | 7,089 |
| 2025-06 | 7,204 |
| 2025-05 | 7,310 |
| 2025-04 | 7,098 |
| 2025-03 | 6,952 |
| 2025-02 | 7,242 |
Total Nonfarm Payrolls
| Date | Value (thousands) |
|---|---|
| 2026-02 | 158,466 |
| 2026-01 | 158,558 |
| 2025-12 | 158,432 |
| 2025-11 | 158,449 |
| 2025-10 | 158,408 |
| 2025-09 | 158,548 |
| 2025-08 | 158,472 |
| 2025-07 | 158,542 |
| 2025-06 | 158,478 |
| 2025-05 | 158,498 |
| 2025-04 | 158,485 |
| 2025-03 | 158,377 |
Total Private Employment
| Date | Value (thousands) |
|---|---|
| 2026-02 | 133,705 |
| 2026-01 | 133,481 |
| 2025-12 | 135,712 |
| 2025-11 | 135,775 |
| 2025-10 | 135,666 |
| 2025-09 | 135,161 |
| 2025-08 | 135,740 |
| 2025-07 | 135,901 |
| 2025-06 | 135,871 |
| 2025-05 | 135,216 |
| 2025-04 | 134,457 |
| 2025-03 | 133,646 |