The US jobs report for January 2026 has been delayed due to the ongoing government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced on Monday. The report, originally scheduled for release on Friday, will be rescheduled once federal funding resumes.
Data collection for the report has been completed, but the shutdown has forced a postponement. The report is expected to provide crucial data on the US labour market after the weakest year for job growth since 2020, with only 584,000 jobs added in 2025 compared with 2 million in 2024.
Emily Liddel, associate commissioner of the BLS, said in a statement: “The Employment Situation release for January 2026 will not be released as scheduled on Friday, February 6, 2026. The release will be rescheduled upon the resumption of government funding.”
The BLS has already faced significant delays from the longest federal government shutdown in US history, which lasted 43 days in October and November 2025. The current shutdown began on Sunday after a standoff in Congress over restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), following the killings of two US citizens by federal agents last month.
Democratic senators are refusing to vote for a bill authorising continued spending by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), demanding new restrictions on ICE agents. On Friday, the Senate passed five measures to fund government agencies through September and a two-week funding bill for DHS, which now awaits a House vote. House Democrats have not guaranteed the votes to pass the measure, though Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed his party has enough votes to reopen the government by Tuesday.
