tbgh-jeff | Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

April 5, 2026Bytbgh-jeffInCareer Planning, Mistakes

Believing the BS

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter debunks one of the career myths we all act as though we believe.

April 3, 2026Bytbgh-jeffInNo B. S. Job Search Advice Radio, Red Flags

The Cost of a Long Job Search

EP 3127 The ticking clock is not your friend.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 178,000 in March, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in health care, in construction, and in transportation and warehousing. Federal government employment continued to decline. This news release presents statistics from two monthly surveys. The household survey measures labor force status, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics. The establishment survey measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. For more information about the concepts and statistical methodology used in these two surveys, see the Technical Note. Household Survey Data Both the unemployment rate, at 4.3 percent, and the number of unemployed people, at 7.2 million, changed little in March. These measures also changed little over the year. (See table A-1.) Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for people who are Asian (3.7 percent) decreased in March. The jobless rates for adult men (3.8 percent), adult women (4.0 percent), teenagers (13.7 percent), and people who are White (3.6 percent), Black (7.1 percent), or Hispanic (4.8 percent) showed little change over the month. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.) The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) changed little at 1.8 million in March but is up by 322,000 over the year. The long-term unemployed accounted for 25.4 percent of all unemployed people in March. (See table A-12.) Both the labor force participation rate, at 61.9 percent, and the employment-population ratio, at 59.2 percent, changed little in March. These measures also showed little change over the year, after accounting for annual population control adjustments. (See table A-1.) The number of people employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.5 million, changed little in March. These individuals would have preferred full-time employment but were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs. (See table A-8.) The number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job changed little at 6.0 million in March. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the 4 weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job. (See table A-1.) Among those not in the labor force who wanted a job, the number of people marginally attached to the labor force increased by 325,000 in March to 1.9 million. These individuals wanted and were available for work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months but had not looked for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached who believed that no jobs were available for them, increased by 144,000 in March to 510,000. (See Summary table A.) Establishment Survey Data Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 178,000 in March, following a decrease in February (-133,000). In March, job gains occurred in health care, in construction, and in transportation and warehousing. Federal government employment continued to decline. Payroll employment had changed little on net over the prior 12 months. (See table B-1.) Health care added 76,000 jobs in March. Employment in ambulatory health care services rose by 54,000, reflecting an increase of 35,000 in offices of physicians as workers returned from a strike. Employment also increased in hospitals (+15,000). Over the prior 12 months, health care had added an average of 29,000 jobs per month. Employment in construction grew by 26,000 in March but had shown little net change over the prior 12 months. In March, transportation and warehousing added 21,000 jobs, reflecting a gain in couriers and messengers (+20,000). Employment in transportation and warehousing is down by 139,000 since reaching a peak in February 2025. Employment in social assistance continued its upward trend in March (+14,000), primarily in individual and family services (+11,000). Federal government employment continued to decline in March (-18,000). Since reaching a peak in October 2024, federal government employment is down by 355,000, or 11.8 percent. Federal employees on furlough during the partial government shutdown were counted as employed in the establishment survey because they worked or received (or will receive) pay for the pay period that included the 12th of the month. Employment in financial activities edged down by 15,000 in March, reflecting a loss in finance and insurance (-16,000). Employment in financial activities is down by 77,000 since reaching a peak in May 2025. Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; information; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services. In March, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 9 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $37.38. Over the year, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.5 percent. In March, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees edged up by 5 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $32.07. (See tables B-3 and B-8.) The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged down by 0.1 hour to 34.2 hours in March. In manufacturing, the average workweek was unchanged at 40.2 hours, and overtime was also unchanged at 3.0 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls remained at 33.8 hours. (See tables B-2 and B-7.) The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for January was revised up by 34,000, from +126,000 to +160,000, and the change for February was revised down by 41,000, from -92,000 to -133,000. With these revisions, employment in January and February combined is 7,000 lower than previously reported. (Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.) _____________ The Employment Situation for April is scheduled to be released on Friday, May 8, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. (ET). Employment Situation Summary Table A. Household data, seasonally adjusted Employment Situation Summary Table B. Establishment data, seasonally adjusted Employment Situation Frequently Asked Questions Employment Situation Technical Note Table A-1. Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age Table A-2. Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, and age Table A-3. Employment status of the Hispanic or Latino population by sex and age Table A-4. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment Table A-5. Employment status of the civilian population 18 years and over by veteran status, period of service, and sex, not seasonally adjusted Table A-6. Employment status of the civilian population by sex, age, and disability status, not seasonally adjusted Table A-7. Employment status of the civilian population by nativity and sex, not seasonally adjusted Table A-8. Employed people by class of worker and part-time status Table A-9. Selected employment indicators Table A-10. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted Table A-11. Unemployed people by reason for unemployment Table A-12. Unemployed people by duration of unemployment Table A-13. Employed and unemployed people by occupation, not seasonally adjusted Table A-14. Unemployed people by industry and class of worker, not seasonally adjusted Table A-15. Alternative measures of labor underutilization Table A-16. People not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector and selected industry detail Table B-2. Average weekly hours and overtime of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted Table B-3. Average hourly and weekly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted Table B-4. Indexes of aggregate weekly hours and payrolls for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted Table B-5. Employment of women on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted Table B-6. Employment of production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted(1) Table B-7. Average weekly hours and overtime of production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted(1) Table B-8. Average hourly and weekly earnings of production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted(1) Table B-9. Indexes of aggregate weekly hours and payrolls for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted(1) Access to historical data for the "A" tables of the Employment Situation News Release Access to historical data for the "B" tables of the Employment Situation News Release HTML version of the entire news release

April 3, 2026Bytbgh-jeffInThe Job Market

Employment Situation Summary: April 3 2026

Employment Situation Summary: April 3 2026 US Bureau of Labor Statistics Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 178,000 in March, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in health care, in construction, and in transportation and warehousing. Federal government employment continued to...

April 3, 2026Bytbgh-jeffInBranding

Own Your Onlyness and Get Hired Faster

Own Your Onlyness and Get Hired Faster By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter Let’s get real: when you’re job hunting, you’re just one of thousands of people saying they’re “passionate,” “driven,” and “results‑oriented.” Sound familiar? That language blends you in. The people who get hired faster do one thing better than everyone else—they know...

April 3, 2026Bytbgh-jeffIn#Shorts, Applying for a Job

Applying for a Job Online? #shorts

A reminder for you when you apply online.

April 3, 2026Bytbgh-jeffInNo B. S. Job Search Advice Radio, No BS Resume Advice

Pass the “So What” Test

EP 3146 Learn the "So What" test to strip away the fluff, prove your value with tangible data, and finally get the interview call.

April 2, 2026Bytbgh-jeffInFollow Up, No B. S. Job Search Advice Radio

When Following Up Backfires

EP 3126 There are times when your desire to follow up can backfire on you.

April 2, 2026Bytbgh-jeffIn#Shorts, Interviews

Find Out What Your Team Is Like #shorts

If you’re up for a management or a leadership role, it’s important to know what your team is like before joining. It can make all the difference between success and failure for you.

April 2, 2026Bytbgh-jeffIn#Shorts, Ask The Big Game Hunter, Follow Up

What Not to Do If You Don’t Hear Back Right Away #shorts

Keep your cool if you don't hear back right away.

April 1, 2026Bytbgh-jeffInLeadership, No BS Management Advice, Text

Leading An Organization When You Have To Layoff People

Leading an organization during times of layoffs can be one of the most challenging and difficult tasks for any senior leader.

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