US GDP grew in 2025 while job creation stalled

The US economy expanded 2.2% in 2025, even as a record-long government shutdown, trade shifts, and new investment plans shaped activity. That growth was solid by recent standards, but it did not translate into broad hiring. Last year the country added just 181,000 jobs — the fewest outside recessions since 2003.

Unemployment stayed low, yet hiring and job openings fell, leaving new graduates, job changers, and many job seekers struggling outside high-demand areas like healthcare and social assistance. The disconnect between output and employment has widened economic fault lines.

Higher earners have benefited more from investment gains and faster wage growth, while lower-income households face near-zero real wage growth, rising price pressures, and signs of greater credit stress; inflation and price levels remain especially burdensome for those with the least.

United States

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