Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo was visibly surprised on-air Wednesday when the latest jobs report came in far below expectations — showing a decline instead of the projected growth.
The report, released by payroll processing firm ADP, revealed that the U.S. private sector lost 33,000 jobs in June, a sharp contrast to the anticipated increase of 95,000. This marked the first monthly job loss in the private sector since March 2023, according to CNBC.
ADP’s Chief Economist Nela Richardson explained the drop, citing “hesitancy to hire and a reluctance to replace departing workers” as key factors behind the contraction.
Bartiromo, who was speaking with Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) at the time, had just told viewers that strong job growth was expected — moments before the disappointing numbers arrived.
“We are waiting any moment now to get the jobs numbers for the month of May— rather, June,” she said live on air. “The expectations call for the ADP numbers to be up 95,000 for the month of June. And we’ll, of course — right now, seeing the number actually show a decline in jobs. Down 33,000 on ADP.”
Without dwelling on the surprise, Bartiromo quickly pivoted to national defense spending.
“The bill includes $25 billion for the ‘Golden Dome,’ the missile defense system,” she continued. “Senator, you introduced a bill supporting the construction of that system. I want to get your take on defense and whether or not that’s an area you see continuing to grow…”
The abrupt shift in focus came on a day when many viewers expected economic strength — only to be met with fresh signs of labor market weakness.
