A 130,000 surge in US hiring last month is a stark contrast to the drastic job cuts of 2025

A sign with black letters on a white background says that a business is hiring
Hiring sign is displayed in front of a restaurant in Chicago, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a surprisingly strong 130,000 jobs last month, but government revisions cut 2024-2025 U.S. payrolls by hundreds of thousands.

The unemployment rate fell to 4.3%, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

The report included major revisions that reduced the number of jobs created last year to just 181,000, a third of the previously reported 584,000 and the weakest since the pandemic year of 2020.