The Labor Department reported Friday that the U.S. economy added 211,000 jobs in April, a stronger than expected rebound from March's disappointing job gains, which were adjusted down to 79,000 from the 98,000 initially reported. Economists polled by Bloomberg had estimated on average that 190,000 new jobs were added last month. The weakness in hiring in March, which already had the smallest gains in 10 months before the downward adjustment, has been blamed on unseasonably warm weather in January and February, which caused premature seasonal gains in such weather-sensitive industries as construction and leisure. The April figure nudged down the unemployment rate to 4.4 percent, from 4.5 percent. Wages showed a 2.4 percent increase over the last year, down slightly from the 2.5 percent reported the month before. The April report provided the latest evidence that the economy remains on track with Federal Reserve expectations for continued "moderate" economic growth.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
'From his election as pope in 2013, Francis sought to reform'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Israel blames 'failures' for killing of medicsspeed read 14 Gaza medics and 1 U.N. employee were killed by IDF special forces
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group textSpeed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
-
What is the job market's future after Trump's tariffs?Talking Points Economic analysts are split on what the tariffs could mean for employees
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loomSpeed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panelsSpeed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of businessSpeed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocksSpeed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor dealSpeed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US SteelSpeed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
