Nonfarm Payrolls

Nonfarm payrolls, formally the Total Nonfarm Payroll Employment count, measure the net monthly change in the number of paid US workers in business and government, excluding farm workers, private household employees, and unincorporated self-employed individuals, and are compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from a survey of roughly 149,000 businesses and government agencies covering about a third of all nonfarm payroll workers. Released on the first Friday of each month as part of the Employment Situation report, the nonfarm payrolls figure is one of the most closely watched economic releases in global financial markets because of how quickly it reflects real-time hiring and layoff trends.