US job market adds 36,560 jobs with gains in Public Administration and Health Care

NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2026, Revelio Labs, a leading workforce intelligence company, released its latest edition of Revelio Public Labor Statistics (RPLS) and the AI Labor Market Tracker, highlighting the US job market’s performance in August 2026. The U.S. economy added 36,560 jobs in August, with significant gains in Public Administration and Health Care and Social Assistance sectors, while Leisure and Hospitality and Retail Trade sectors experienced job losses.

According to the report, active job postings decreased by 3% to 18.3 million, representing a 2.2% decline from August 2025. The steepest declines were observed in Transportation and Warehousing, which saw a 13.2% drop, and Wholesale Trade, down 11.3%. This trend indicates a continued cooling in labor demand, as advertised salaries in new postings fell by 3.4%, suggesting reduced wage pressure.

The most notable finding in the report pertains to employment in AI-exposed occupations. Since the launch of ChatGPT, employment in these sectors has declined by approximately 6% relative to less AI-exposed occupations. Among workers aged 22 to 25, the gap has widened to 19%, marking a significant disparity in job opportunities based on age and exposure to AI.

Notwithstanding the overall positive job numbers, Revelio Labs noted that the employment trends are not uniformly positive. The firm-level data revealed that the most AI-exposed companies are recording fewer layoffs compared to less exposed firms. Additionally, companies adopting AI continue to expand their workforce relative to those not using the technology. These findings suggest that AI’s impact on the labor market is more concentrated in job growth and opportunity disparities rather than widespread job losses.

Lisa Simon, Chief Economist at Revelio Labs, commented, "The labor market added very few jobs in August, and opportunities are becoming increasingly uneven, especially for younger workers in AI-exposed occupations. However, we do not see evidence of broad AI-driven displacement: firms that are highly exposed are laying off fewer workers, while those adopting AI continue to expand their headcount."

For journalists and researchers, the full RPLS release and AI Labor Market Tracker are available for download. These resources include comprehensive data and charts, allowing for in-depth analysis and reporting.

Both releases can be found at: - Full RPLS release, August 2026 → reveliolabs.com/public-labor-statistics - AI Labor Market Tracker → reveliolabs.com/ai-labor-market-tracker

Revelio Labs provides a comprehensive view of the global workforce, transforming billions of public employment records into clean, reliable, and standardized data. Their offerings include the Revelio Terminal, economic research, and public labor market releases, all aimed at helping organizations make critical labor market decisions.