Nowflation › Release calendar › March 2026 jobs report

March 2026 jobs report: +214K — Graded

Countdown

Released Friday, April 3, 2026 at 8:30 AM ET. Graded below.

What to watch

  • Prior: payrolls −133K in February 2026.
  • Street consensus: +60K payrolls (FMP economic calendar estimate).
  • Unemployment rate: 4.4% in February 2026.
  • Nowflation: no payroll nowcast is on record for March 2026. Watch average hourly earnings against the Gauge: real wages are the inflation story in this report.

The Nowflation call

No payroll nowcast is on record for March 2026. Watch average hourly earnings against the Gauge: real wages are the inflation story in this report.

Competing forecasts

ForecasterCallMiss
Street consensus (closest)+60K−154K
Prior month (naive)−133K−347K

Grading

March 2026 payrolls +214K (reported April 3, 2026), unemployment 4.3% (prior −133K). Source: BLS, from series PAYEMS (monthly change) and UNRATE.

Related: Jobs and wages · Real wages · Series PAYEMS · Release calendar