Just how bad are these job numbers?
February 6, 2026
9 min
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205 of 300
February 6, 2026
Just how bad are these job numbers?
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Nprs Planet Money Episodes Around February 6, 2026
Episode 205 of 300 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
9:25This episodeJust how bad are these job numbers?
Summary
It’s a weird time for jobs numbers. Another month, another jobs report pushed back by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Averaging two private sources, ADP and Revelio Labs: an estimated 4,500 jobs were added in January. Sounds like … not many. <br /><br />And, yet, the unemployment rate hasn’t seemed to have risen. This might be, in part, due to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. We’ll explain through the story of one Angeleno.<br /><br />On today’s show, how bad are these job numbers? Or are they not bad at all? And what does immigration have to do with it? <br /><br /><strong>Related episodes: </strong><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/08/05/1256758542/bls-firing-economic-data-integrity-update" target="_blank">Can we still trust the monthly jobs report? (Update)</a> <br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/08/06/1256812323/bureau-of-labor-statistics-revisions-explained" target="_blank">What you need to know about the jobs report revisions</a> <br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/08/04/1256727558/trump-fires-bls-director-jobs-report" target="_blank">What really goes on at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Update)</a> <br /><br />For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/" target="_blank">plus.npr.org</a>. Fact-checking by <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez" target="_blank">Sierra Juarez</a>. Music by <a href="https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Drop Electric</a>. Find us: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney" target="_blank">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money" target="_blank">Newsletter</a>. <br /><br />See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
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