March Labor Steady

U.S. payrolls rose by 180,000 in March, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 4.4 percent, U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Employment increased in construction, retail trade, and health care. The number of manufacturing jobs continued to trend down. Average hourly earnings rose by 6 cents, or 0.3 percent, over the month.

In March, the number of unemployed persons stood at 6.7 million. The jobless rate has remained has hovered close to 4.5 percent since September 2006.

The number of employed persons in the United Stands is around 146.3 million.

In March, construction employment rose sharply, following a large decline in the prior month. A sizable job gain also occurred in general merchandise stores in March, and job growth continued in health care and in food services. Manufacturing employment continued to trend down over the month.

back to April blog