Washington, D.C.—The U.S. economy added 79,200 jobs in July, according to Revelio Public Labor Statistics. Health care and social assistance led the gains, followed by manufacturing.
HCA Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente recorded some of the largest employment increases in health care and social assistance. Lockheed Martin and Tesla led growth in manufacturing.
Leisure and hospitality posted the largest employment losses, with Starbucks and Inspire Brands accounting for much of the decline. Retail trade also reported a drop in employment.
Layoff notices increase
The number of employees included in WARN layoff notices rose slightly in July. Employers notified 27,000 workers of layoffs, compared with 23,000 in June.
Despite the monthly increase, mass layoffs have remained relatively stable since the beginning of 2026.
Manufacturing recorded the most layoff notices for the second consecutive month, followed by the information sector. Novanta and Samsung Electronics accounted for much of the activity in manufacturing. Samsung cut hundreds of jobs in New Jersey as it moved its U.S. headquarters to Texas. Most of the affected positions were in sales and marketing.
Microsoft and EchoStar led layoffs in the information sector. Microsoft eliminated 4,800 jobs in July as part of a restructuring of its Xbox gaming business.
Hiring continues to slow
Hiring and attrition continued to trend downward nationwide, reinforcing the current low-hire, low-fire labor market. The national hiring rate fell to 20.6% in July from 21% in June. Education services recorded the sharpest decline, followed by transportation and warehousing and public administration.
The national attrition rate remained unchanged at 20%. Education services posted the largest increase in attrition, while transportation and warehousing recorded the largest decline.
Job postings edge higher
Active job postings increased 0.3% in July as most U.S. industries reported modest gains in recruiting activity. Agriculture, public administration, other services and professional and business services posted some of the strongest increases. Professional and business services added 71,000 active postings, with staffing firms leading much of the growth. Public administration added 18,700 postings, supported by increased federal government recruiting.
Leisure and hospitality recorded the largest decline in active postings. Domino’s Pizza and Yum Brands accounted for much of the decrease.
Weekly jobless claimsÂ
According to the United States Department of Labor, initial unemployment claims rose slightly in July, reaching 199,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis. The four-week moving average fell to 198,750. Insured unemployment increased to 1.8 million for the week ending July 25, while the insured unemployment rate remained unchanged at 1.2%.
Unadjusted initial claims fell to 171,246, down 5,289 from the previous week and below the comparable 2025 level. New Jersey and Puerto Rico recorded the highest insured unemployment rates. Ohio posted the largest increase in initial claims, while Michigan recorded the largest decline in claims.