Job numbers show employers and workers are ‘waiting for clearer signals’

Both employers and employees are “waiting for clearer signals” before making moves, the most recent job numbers indicate, according to Ger Doyle, regional president, North America at ManpowerGroup.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 147,000 last month, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.1 percent, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released Thursday.

While the federal government continued to shed jobs, both healthcare and state government added jobs, BLS said.

“This is not a freeze, but a temporary chill,” Doyle said. “Employees are staying put, employers are holding steady, and everyone is waiting for clearer signals. This is collective caution, not crisis.”

Project management roles are increasing and jobs mentioning AI skills are holding strong, Doyle said — “signs that strategic priorities are shifting, not stalling.”