U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer issued the following statement regarding the January 2026 Employment Situation Report:
“The January jobs report shows that the U.S. economy is off to an undeniably strong start this year, with 172,000 private sector jobs added. Solid growth in construction is proof that President Trump’s America First policies are working their magic, including a notable 25,000 uptick in specialty trades from factory groundbreakings – a direct result of the trillions in historic investments the President has secured.
“The numbers are reflecting what I’ve been seeing on the ground throughout my America at Work listening tour. With the support of pro-growth policies like the Working Families Tax Cuts, businesses are ready and excited to expand, and Americans are getting back to work. President Trump is fulfilling his promise to grow the private sector while eliminating wasteful and burdensome bureaucracy, with federal employment hitting its lowest level since 1966.
“As the President’s agenda continues to create a Golden Age of economic prosperity for Americans, the Department of Labor remains laser-focused on upskilling and reskilling our workforce to fill the thousands of mortgage-paying jobs being created month after month.”