AI Data Insight
In May 2026, the US number of "persons not in the labor force who currently want a job" climbed to 6.187 million, an increase of 76,000 from the previous month. Although nonfarm payrolls added 172,000 jobs and the unemployment rate remained flat at 4.3%, the number of marginally attached workers and the broader U-6 unemployment rate remain stubbornly high. The labor market appears robust on the surface, but substantial structural slack is brewing, which may constrain future wage and consumption momentum.