July 2025 Jobs Report: Employers Add 73,000 Jobs

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that U.S. employers added 73,000 jobs in July, falling short of economists’ expectations of between 100,000 and 115,000 jobs.

The agency also issued sharp downward revisions for May and June, showing that those two months combined saw 258,000 fewer positions added than previously reported.

Unemployment rate rises to 4.2%

The national unemployment rate was 4.2% in July, up slightly from 4.1% in the June jobs report.

The unemployment rate for college-degreed workers who are 25 or older also increased, rising to 2.7%. In June, the rate was 2.5%. These professionals are highly sought after by many employers.

Private education and health services industry sees robust job gains in July

A bright spot in the July 2025 jobs report is the continued momentum in job growth within private education and health services. Employers in this sector expanded payrolls by 79,000 jobs last month, according to the BLS.

The agency reports these industries also saw job gains in July:

Retail trade: 15,700 jobs added

Financial activities: 15,000 jobs added

Leisure and hospitality: 5,000 jobs added

Transportation and warehousing: 3,600 jobs added

Construction: 2,000 jobs added

Industries that reported job losses last month include professional and business services (-14,000 jobs), manufacturing (-11,000 jobs), government (-10,000 jobs), and wholesale trade (-7,800 jobs).

Hiring demand endures despite a slight cooling in job openings

The U.S. labor market remains resilient, even as the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) from the BLS signals a modest slowdown. Job openings slipped to 7.4 million in June, down from 7.8 million in May. Hiring held steady at 5.2 million (a 3.3% rate), while total separations edged down to 5.1 million. Within separations, quits declined to 3.1 million, bringing the quits rate to 2.0%.

Despite this moderation, openings remain well above historical norms—evidence of ongoing demand for skilled talent. Hiring continues to focus on critical, high-skill roles across finance, human resources (HR), technology, legal, marketing and creative functions.

Most workers staying put—for now—but interest in contract roles is growing

Research from Robert Half shows 73% of U.S. workers plan to stay in their current roles through the end of 2025, largely to preserve their current level of work flexibility. Among those considering a career move, 91% are open to switching industries in pursuit of higher compensation, a better work-life balance and more meaningful work.

Notably, 71% of workers say they would consider contract roles—a path that enables professionals to build new skills, gain diverse experience and maintain greater autonomy.

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