The monthly U.S. report measuring new jobs added outside agriculture is the nonfarm payrolls report, formally part of the Employment Situation release.
The payroll figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics program, also called the establishment or payroll survey. BLS surveys businesses and government agencies about jobs on their payrolls, then estimates employment across the nonfarm economy. The report commonly receives intense attention because it is an early monthly signal of labor-market strength.
Nonfarm payrolls count jobs rather than unique people. A person holding two covered jobs can therefore be counted twice. The series generally excludes farm workers, private household workers, proprietors, unincorporated self-employed people, and unpaid family or volunteer workers. It also differs from the household survey, which is used to measure unemployment and labor-force status.
The release is not a final tally: the initial estimate can be revised as more employer reports arrive and seasonal factors are recalculated. “Job openings” is a separate measure of vacant positions, while payrolls measure filled jobs.