The June jobs numbers from the Labor Department Friday marked a sharp reversal for the American labor market and a political setback for President Donald Trump less than three months before his Republican party seeks to keep full control of Congress in the .

Forecasters had expected job creation to approach 100,000 last month.

Local public schools cut 50,000 jobs in July, restaurants and bars 26,000, retailers 19,000.

The 4.1% unemployment rate was the lowest since June 2025 鈥� but it dropped for the wrong reasons: Fewer people were competing for work as 264,000 dropped out of the labor market. The share of those working or looking for fell to 61.4%, the lowest since February 2021.

The Trump administration, which has imposed massive tariffs in an attempt to create manufacturing jobs, noted that jobs were up 22,000 at construction companies and 5,000 at factories. 鈥淭he Trump industrial resurgence is on schedule. Manufacturing and factory construction jobs grew again in July even as government payrolls continued to significantly shrink,鈥欌�� said White House spokesman Kush Desai.

Hiring had rebounded this year from a lackluster 2025 in the face of the conflict in the Persian Gulf that has sent energy prices surging and put a strain on family budgets. Job growth had been solid, if unspectacular. Some businesses are having trouble filling vacancies. Others are using technology to do the work humans used to do.

Americans who have jobs are enjoying unusual job security. Layoffs are low by historical standards. Companies, scarred by the surprise labor shortages that followed COVID-19 lockdowns a few years ago, don鈥檛 want to risk giving up the staff they have.

One week in July the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits The jobless rate tumbled to 4.2% in June, the lowest in a year, and is expected to have stayed there last month, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet.

But Americans who have lost their jobs 鈥� or are seeking to bust into the job market for the first time 鈥� are struggling to catch a break.

Economists have used the term “no hire, no fire” to describe the unusual job market conditions.

So far this year, employers are adding 61,000 jobs a month, up from 9,700 in 2025, the weakest outside a recession since 2002.

Tthe United States doesn鈥檛 need as many jobs as it used to keep the unemployment rate from rising. Trump鈥檚 immigration crackdown and the ongoing retirement of baby boomers mean fewer people are competing for work. So the 鈥渂reak-even鈥欌�� rate of monthly hiring, 155,000 in 2023-2024, has dropped, perhaps to nearly zero,

鈥淭here are just fewer people available to hire,鈥欌�� said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. For some, labor shortages translate into higher wages. The payroll processor ADP reported Wednesday that people who changed jobs last month pocketed a 7% raise, the biggest year-over-year gain in almost a year and a premium over a 4.4% increase for workers who stayed where they were.

At the same time, companies have become more productive in recent years, using technology to do the work that humans used to do. 鈥淲e are seeing companies produce more with their current staff,鈥欌�� Guatieri said. 鈥淪o there鈥檚 less need to take on new workers.鈥欌��

Shortages of available workers and rising productivity, he said, 鈥渨ill keep the lid on the rate of hiring and monthly job growth.鈥欌��

Moreover, the outlook for hiring is clouded by the ongoing fighting in the Persian Gulf, which has pushed up energy prices and squeezed family budgets, and by the rise of artificial intelligence, which could either make workers more efficient and better-paid — or take their jobs.

In a report out this week, researchers Ingrid Chen, Marianna Kudlyak and Riva Mikhlin of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco found that in the past couple of years 鈥� surprisingly so.

Normally, this deep into an economic expansion 鈥� it’s been more than six years since the last recession 鈥� employers would need workers so badly that they鈥檇 be taking chances on young people and on those with less education. Not this time. 鈥淚nstead of being pulled in, the pipeline into employment is shrinking such that the recovery is no longer reaching workers at the margins,鈥欌�� Chen, Kudlyak and Mikhlin write.

Moreover, the unemployed people who normally get back to work the fastest 鈥� those in their prime working years (25 to 54) and with college educations 鈥� are struggling to find new jobs. The San Francisco Fed researchers aren鈥檛 sure what鈥檚 making the job search so tough. They suspect it might have to do with the immigration crackdown, hiring slowdowns specifically at tech companies and government contractors, uncertainty over the direction of government policy or 鈥渆arly signals of broader labor market deterioration.鈥欌��

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AP Writer Josh Boak contributed to this story.

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The Tempe, Arizona-based company said it had a loss of 16 cents per share.

The mineral exploration company posted revenue of $724,000 in the period.

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The Hamilton, Bermuda-based company said it had a loss of $1.03 per share. Losses, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 86 cents per share.

The reinsurance holding company posted revenue of $6.7 million in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $9.7 million.

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The Richmond, Virginia-based company said it had profit of 17 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs and to account for discontinued operations, were 18 cents per share.

The plastic films maker posted revenue of $216.3 million in the period.

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The Chicago-based company said it had profit of $4.15 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains and to account for discontinued operations, came to 64 cents per share.

The wireless telecommunications service provider posted revenue of $54.1 million in the period.

Array Digital expects full-year revenue in the range of $205 million to $215 million.

Array Digital shares have decreased 34% since the beginning of the year. The stock has fallen 52% in the last 12 months.

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That background sounds ideal for a U.S. Senate hopeful in a Deep South state run for generations by white conservatives.

Except Colom is a Democrat. And a Black man.

So, he’s an underdog in his bid to unseat Republican Sen. , a white Donald Trump acolyte seeking her second full term. Yet several variables 鈥� Colom鈥檚 biography, 惭颈蝉蝉颈蝉蝉颈辫辫颈鈥檚 demographics, lingering inflation and Hyde-Smith’s understated profile 鈥� make for a wildcard matchup as Republicans defend their 53-47 Senate majority at the midpoint of Trump’s second presidency.

鈥淢ississippi matters,鈥� Colom insisted throughout a recent day of campaigning.

He told The Associated Press he has a rare opportunity to flip the state’s usual script by casting Hyde-Smith as a rubber stamp while deflecting broadsides that he’s a liberal misfit.

鈥淚鈥檓 going to fight the corruption that we鈥檙e seeing in D.C. that鈥檚 making everything less affordable,鈥� he said, zeroing in on , and the Republican-controlled Congress鈥� capitulation on both. 鈥淥ur junior senator has totally given away our voice. She鈥檚 not worried about us at all.鈥�

Through aides, Hyde-Smith declined an interview. But her campaign manager projected confidence.

鈥淣o one believes in Scott Colom except for Scott Colom,鈥� said Jake Monssen, tagging the challenger as a stooge of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and billionaire donor George Soros, whose family backed Colom’s district attorney races.

Schumer recently held a fundraiser for Colom, and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, Maryland’s first Black senator, traveled to Mississippi to support him as to Senate control. She predicted more senators will follow.

鈥淚 can guarantee you one thing,鈥� Alsobrooks said, “I鈥檓 not the last.鈥�

As they campaigned together, Colom cited a famous biblical long shot while alluding to his state’s history at the vanguard of the Civil Rights Movement.

鈥淲e know a little something about David and Goliath in Mississippi,” he said.

The outcome hinges on 鈥榮imple math鈥�

惭颈蝉蝉颈蝉蝉颈辫辫颈鈥檚 is never far below the surface.

Colom鈥檚 weekend featured a voting rights discussion at Jackson鈥檚 Farish Street Baptist Church, where Medgar Evers, the NAACP leader killed by white supremacists in 1963, held organizing meetings. One of Evers鈥� successors embraced Colom’s candidacy as the next step in a long struggle.

鈥淢ississippi is not just a moral argument,鈥� said state NAACP Executive Director Charles Taylor. 鈥淚t is simple math.鈥�

Black voters make up a larger share of Mississippi’s 2.95 million residents (about 37%) and typical November electorate (about a third) than in any other state. More than 9 out of 10 of them typically vote Democratic but turn out at a lower rate than white voters, especially young generations, according to strategists in both major political parties. White voters opt by a 4-1 ratio or more for Republicans. Younger white voters trend slightly less Republican, but they’re also less likely to vote.

That makes most Mississippi elections closer than in neighboring Alabama and Louisiana. In 2018, Hyde-Smith won a special election runoff over Mike Espy, Mississippi’s first Black congressman since Reconstruction and a former U.S. agriculture secretary, by 7 percentage points. She notched a 10-percentage-point in 2020 but trailed Trump鈥檚 16-percentage-point margin over Democrat Joe Biden.

Three years later, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves managed just a 3-percentage-point reelection margin and finished less than 1 percentage point over the majority threshold that Mississippi law requires to avoid a runoff in statewide general elections.

Taylor said registration and turnout efforts by the NACCP and other groups could draw 75,000 more Black voters, enough to close recent gaps.

Wilbur Colom, who once lost a state treasurer鈥檚 race as a Republican, enjoys gaming out turnout scenarios for his son.

Scott Colom can hit a winning sweet spot, his father said, by increasing Black share of the electorate to 35% and get closer to one out of four white votes rather than the typical 20% or less.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 hard,鈥� Wilbur Colom said. 鈥淏ut demographics are our friend here.鈥�

Scott Colom leans on contrasting records

Colom mostly sidesteps Mississippi history or electoral math unless asked.

鈥淲e鈥檝e made a lot more progress than we get credit for,鈥� he said.

鈥淎 lot of Mississippians,鈥� he added, 鈥渨ant somebody that鈥檚 going to look out for them,鈥� regardless of race.

On Republican gerrymandering after gutted a last key Voting Rights Act provision protecting minority voting strength, Colom steers the conversation to economics. Republicans, Colom said, 鈥渄on’t want to be held accountable鈥� for how things are going.

Asked about Biden tapping him for a federal judgeship only for Hyde-Smith to block the nomination, Colom says the campaign isn’t about that. He avoids personal shots at Trump, instead emphasizing Mississippi farmers harmed by the Republican president鈥檚 tariffs and 鈥�400,000 Mississippians that don鈥檛 have health insurance鈥� because the state hasn鈥檛 expanded Medicaid and Republicans, Hyde-Smith included, let expanded expire.

Colom mentions crime victims and their families in his jurisdiction, promising voters will see them vouch for him. And he criticizes Hyde-Smith for using campaign funds at Las Vegas hotels.

鈥淰oters in Mississippi were promised America first. They were promised lower grocery prices, no more endless wars, concepts of a healthcare plan,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been betrayed on all three fronts, and Cindy Hyde-Smith won鈥檛 even do a town hall to justify any of it.鈥�

Hyde-Smith’s team targets Colom as too liberal

The senator’s aides note that she travels regularly to community events around Mississippi 鈥� and only annually to Las Vegas for a national campaign fundraiser the onetime state agriculture commissioner plans around a professional rodeo event.

Hyde-Smith, in turn, frames Colom as beholden to extremes beyond Mississippi. Monssen said voters will see a challenger trying 鈥渢o transition kids鈥� genders,鈥� raise taxes and give 鈥渉ealthcare to illegal immigrants鈥� to please his 鈥渟ocialist supporters鈥� from the coasts.

It鈥檚 a play-it-safe strategy that presumes Republicans like Steve Rogers, a 73-year-old from Brandon, still make up Mississippi’s majority.

鈥淚 like how she votes, and I think any Democrat鈥檚 wasting their time,鈥� Rogers said. He still gives Trump high marks and hasn’t even heard of Colom. Trump鈥檚 slide 鈥渕ay give her some trouble,鈥� he allows, 鈥渂ut I think she coasts.鈥�

Colom acknowledged financial support from the Soros family but said no candidate controls outside political action committees. He pointed to his prosecution of a Democratic sheriff for sexual abuse of a prisoner as proof that partisanship doesn鈥檛 guide him. Voters, including many who’ve backed Trump and Hyde-Smith, 鈥渁re smart enough,鈥� he said, to 鈥渟ee through the lies.鈥�

Democrat Judy Weiner, a 72-year-old poll worker in Hinds County, added that Hyde-Smith distinguishes herself only by her fealty to Trump, while not establishing a reputation for securing appropriations and helping rank-and-file Mississippians, as did her predecessor Cochran.

鈥淗e made his decisions based on what was good for all the people in Mississippi, not because the president whispered in his ear,鈥� she said, noting Cochran attracted votes from Black and white Democrats.

A little cash could go a long way

The candidates’ campaign accounts and Mississippi’s inexpensive media markets intensify the unknowns.

Through June, Hyde-Smith had raised $3.8 million this cycle, with $2.5 million left. Colom pulled in $2.8 million and had $850,000 remaining. But Colom outpaced Hyde-Smith among individual contributors, $1.9 million to $1.8 million, from the start of 2025. More of his money ($536,000) came from Mississippi than any other state, despite Monssen’s broadsides.

There is no statewide TV advertising yet, but Senate Majority PAC spokeswoman Lauren French said the group is 鈥渨atching closely.鈥� And it doesn’t take seven figures per ad buy to penetrate the electorate, unlike in more populous states like Texas, Georgia and North Carolina. That means that either national party or super PACs could make late investments that matter.

鈥淲e need to be working for every single seat,鈥� said Alsobrooks, the Maryland visitor, 鈥渁nd you know what, it always seems impossible until it鈥檚 done.鈥�

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On a per-share basis, the Houston-based company said it had profit of $1.97. Losses, adjusted to account for discontinued operations, were 37 cents per share.

The oil and gas holding company posted revenue of $17.69 billion in the period.

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On a per-share basis, the New York-based company said it had a loss of 18 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were 36 cents per share.

The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 16 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 31 cents per share.

The publisher of “Grand Theft Auto” and other video games posted revenue of $1.53 billion in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $1.39 billion, also surpassing Street forecasts. Fifteen analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.35 billion.

For the current quarter ending in September, Take-Two said it expects revenue in the range of $1.62 billion to $1.67 billion.

The company expects full-year earnings to be 55 cents to 75 cents per share, with revenue ranging from $8 billion to $8.2 billion.

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The Houston-based company said it had profit of $2.51 per share. Earnings, adjusted to account for discontinued operations, were 41 cents per share.

The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 40 cents per share.

The oil and gas transportation and storage company posted revenue of $17.69 billion in the period, which also topped Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $14.68 billion.

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The Allentown, Pennsylvania-based company said it had profit of 30 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 33 cents per share.

The results did not meet Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 35 cents per share.

The energy and utility holding company posted revenue of $2.11 billion in the period, which also did not meet Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $2.18 billion.

PPL expects full-year earnings in the range of $1.90 to $1.98 per share.

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The Bristol, Tennessee-based company said it had a loss of 96 cents per share.

The company posted revenue of $492.9 million in the period.

Alpha Metallurgical shares have fallen 24% since the beginning of the year. The stock has risen 23% in the last 12 months.

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On a per-share basis, the Burlington, Massachusetts-based company said it had net loss of 14 cents. Losses, adjusted for non-recurring gains, came to 46 cents per share.

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On a per-share basis, the Newark, New York-based company said it had profit of 15 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 19 cents per share.

The power and communications systems maker posted revenue of $47.9 million in the period.

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On a per-share basis, the Ponte Vedra, Florida-based company said it had a loss of 24 cents.

The orthopedic medical device maker posted revenue of $45.4 million in the period.

Treace Medical Concepts expects full-year revenue in the range of $204 million to $212 million.

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