WASHINGTON – Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling issued the following statement regarding the October 2026 Employment Situation Report:“The American labor market is the strongest it has been in more than half a century, and President Trump’s leadership continues to drive job growth in the United States as the unemployment rate dropped to 4.1% and we added 165,000 new jobs. Since the President took office, we have surpassed 1.25 million new private sector jobs and doubled the monthly breakeven rate.The manufacturing sector has added more than 100,000 jobs in 2026, including 19,000 in October. This historic growth is driven by trillions of dollars of domestic investment that President Trump has secured. Initial jobless claims fell to 189,000 last week, matching the lowest level recorded since 1969. We are now in the 10th consecutive month of manufacturing expansion, and the combination of reshored production, record investment, and the Working Families Tax Cuts is delivering economic security for the nation.”