115,000 jobs were created and unemployment remains stable in April
The U.S. labor market added 115,000 new jobs in April and the unemployment rate remained at 4.3%, according to the BLS
The U.S. labor market again showed signs of stability in April. Although the economy did not advance at the same pace as previous months, companies were still hiring and the unemployment rate remained unchanged.
The new report from the Bureau of Statistics(BLS) confirmed that 115,000 jobs were generated during the month, a number that exceeded expectations ivas from several analysts. According to a forecast published by FactSet, economists had predicted an increase of 65,000 jobs in April.
The unemployment rate remained at 4.3%, the same level reported for several months. According to the BLS, there are 7.4 million unemployed people in the country.
The report also showed that labor participation stayed at 61.8%, while the proportion of people employed to the total population was 59.1%.
The sectors that boosted hiring in April were health, transportation and storage, in addition to retail trade. The healthcare area led company creation leos with 37,000 new places. Within that sector the care centers and residences for patients, as well as home medical care services, stood out.
The transportation and storage sector added 30,000 jobs. Much of that growth happened in courier and package delivery companies tes, which added 38,000 jobs. However, the BLS clarified that this industry is still below the levels recorded in February 2025.
The retail trade also reported positive movement with 22,000 new jobs. The largest hirings occurred in supermarkets, general merchandise stores and construction materials and gardening businesses. In contrast, department stores and electronics stores continued to lose workers.
On the other hand, employment within the federal government fell again. In April, 9,000 positions were eliminated and since As of October 2024, the federal government has lost nearly 348,000 jobs, equivalent to a 11.5% reduction.
The information industry also continued to show weakness. This sector, which includes telecommunications, film, sound recording and services technology, lost 13,000 jobs during April. According to the BLS, since the end 2022 this industry accumulates a fall of more than 340,000 jobs.
Another data that caught attention was the increase in people working part-time for economic reasons. The number rose by 445,000 people, reaching 4.9 mill ones. This means that many workers would rather have a full-time job, but haven't been able to get it or their working hours were reduced.
In wages, average hourly income increased 6 cents in April, reaching $37.41 dollars. Compared to last year do, wages have risen 3.6%. The average workday also had a slight increase and was $34.3 hours/week.
The labor report arrives amid economic concerns related to the conflict between the United States Iran and the increase in energy prices. Even so, several specialists consider that the labor market continues to show resilience.
“The addition of 115,000 jobs in April continues to highlight the resilience of the U.S. labor market,” said Jerry Tempelman, vice-president of economic research and fixed-income at Mut ual of America Capital Management, to CBS News. “Despite higher gasoline prices, we have seen minimal disruptions in the US economy due to conflict in the Middle East.”
However, the specialist also warned about possible risks for the coming months. He pointed out to the information portal that the impact of prices Increases in oil and other key raw materials, such as fertilizers, can raise costs and eventually slow economic growth.
The BLS also revised figures from previous months. February ended with a greater loss than initially estimated, going from 13 3,000 to 156,000 jobs eliminated. Meanwhile, March was adjusted slightly upward, with 185,000 new jobs.