FT News Briefing A wacky US jobs report
103 snips
Feb 12, 2026 
Andres Shipani, FT South Asia correspondent covering Bangladesh politics, and Miles McCormick, FT U.S. economics correspondent on labour markets. They unpack a puzzling US jobs print and why official and private data diverge. They also explain Bangladesh’s pivotal post‑uprising vote, the main parties, and the country’s urgent political and economic challenges.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Staley Documents Contradict His Testimony
- Newly released DOJ documents suggest Jess Staley was named a trustee of Jeffrey Epstein's estate until at least 2015.
- Staley had told a UK court he declined Epstein's trustee request while seeking to overturn an FCA lifetime ban.
US Jobs Surprise Masks Weaker Trend
- The US labour market showed surprising resilience with 130,000 jobs added in January, far above expectations.
- Annual revisions cut prior months heavily, revealing much weaker job growth through 2025 than first reported.
Revisions Undermine Data Confidence
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics' annual revisions showed a large downward adjustment to reported job gains.
- Falling response rates and underfunding may be reducing the accuracy of what was once the gold-standard data.