- Will US unemployment reach at least 5.0% in 2026?4¢
- Will US unemployment reach at least 5.5% in 2026?3¢
- Will US unemployment reach at least 6.0% in 2026?<1¢
- Will US unemployment reach at least 7.0% in 2026?2¢
- Will US unemployment reach at least 10.0% in 2026?2¢
The September 2026 jobs report showed the U.S. unemployment rate rising to 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent in August, with nonfarm payrolls adding just 29,000 jobs—well below expectations—while the rate has fluctuated in a tight 4.1–4.3 percent band since March. This stability reflects subdued hiring amid slower labor-force growth from demographics and immigration trends, offset by historically low layoffs. The Federal Reserve’s September 25-basis-point hike to a 3.75–4 percent federal funds target range, driven by core PCE inflation near 3.4 percent and energy-price pressures from geopolitical tensions, has kept monetary policy restrictive. Traders are watching the October 27–28 FOMC meeting and November 6 employment data for signs of further tightening or labor-market softening that could push the 2026 peak higher.
Rules
This market will resolve to “Yes” if any seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force, official unemployment rate denoted as U-3) reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in an “Employment Situation Report” for a reference month in 2026 is greater than or equal to the listed percentage. Otherwise, this market will resolve to “No”. The relevant reports for this market are the Employment Situation Reports for January-December, 2026. This market may not resolve to “No” until the Employment Situation report for December 2026 is released. If no Employment Situation Report for December 2026 is released by March 31, 2027, 11:59 PM ET, however, this market will resolve based on all previously published data up to that time. The resolution source for this market is the Monthly Employment Situation Report, published by the BLS every month at https://www.bls.gov/bls/news-release/empsit.htm, specifically the U-3 measure in Table A-15 for each month. Note: the resolution source for this market reports unemployment to one decimal point. Thus, this is the level of precision that will be used when resolving the market.