US employers added 162,000 nonfarm jobs in August 2026, well above the 56,000 market forecast, while earlier figures were revised up by a combined 55,000. Analysts estimated underlying employment growth at about 60,000 after excluding a rebound in leisure and hospitality and one-off government education effects. The unemployment rate held at 4.1%, labor-force participation rose to 61.6%, and the U6 broad unemployment rate fell from 7.9% to 7.7%. Average hourly earnings rose 0.3% over the month to $37.75 and increased 3.1% year over year, down from 3.2% and below July's 3.4% CPI growth. Separately, ADP Pay Insights reported 4.7% annual gross-pay growth and 3.2% base-pay growth, with significant regional differences. FedWatch-implied odds of a September rate hike rose from 50% to 58.6% after the report, although the Federal Reserve's decision will still depend mainly on August inflation data.