By The New York Post Editorial Board
Defying doomcasters who predicted that AI plus tariffs mean disaster for American workers, the January employment news blew past expectations, with 130,000 new jobs.
Revised 2025 data show that the nation added only 81,000 jobs all last year, as the economy struggled to escape the Biden-era doldrums — so 2026’s solid start suggests President Donald Trump’s pro-growth policies are finally kicking in.
Plus, the net gains come despite a decline of 42,000 government jobs, including 34,000 from the federal workforce: A shrinking public sector and growing private sector is exactly the right path for America.
Yes, the nation needs a lot more: Manufacturing added just 5,000 jobs — positive progress, but not yet the broad “re-shoring” the prez envisions.
And the good jobs news will paradoxically work against Trump’s push for lower interest rates, as it’s fodder for the view that the economy doesn’t need another bump from the Federal Reserve.
But the economy still grew by nearly twice as many jobs as the experts had predicted; if this keeps up, voters’ current anxiety about employment should ease before the November midterms.
Crucially, wage growth is outpacing inflation even as the Trump tax cuts are only beginning to become tangible for most workers; the nation has every reason to expect the president’s rosy campaign vision of broad prosperity to become reality.
New jobs report blew past expectations — and it’s putting doomers to shame https://t.co/A6gbw35OgT pic.twitter.com/RkbwQ0QWvp
— NY Post Opinion (@NYPostOpinion) February 11, 2026