U.S. employers added 177,000 jobs in April, a slight decrease compared to March's hiring figures. The national unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Employment increased in several sectors, including healthcare, transportation and warehousing, financial activities, and social assistance. However, federal government employment saw a decline.
The net gain of 177,000 jobs in April is down from the 185,000 jobs created in March but aligns with the average monthly gain of 152,000 jobs over the past year.
In healthcare, 51,000 new positions were added in April, consistent with the average monthly increase over the previous year. Hospitals gained 22,000 jobs while ambulatory health care services added 21,000 positions.
The transportation and warehousing sector experienced significant growth with an increase of 29,000 jobs in April after minimal change in March. This rise may be attributed to companies preparing for tariffs affecting supply chains. Specific gains were noted in warehousing and storage (10,000), couriers and messengers (8,000), and air transportation (3,000). The sector has averaged a gain of 12,000 jobs per month over the last year.
Financial activities saw employment continue to trend upwards by adding 14,000 jobs. Social assistance also grew by 8,000 positions but at a slower pace than its average monthly gain over the previous year.
Federal government employment decreased by 9,000 in April and has fallen by 26,000 since January. Federal employees on paid leave or receiving severance pay remain classified as employed within the BLS survey.
Other major industries such as mining; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; information; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality showed little or no change in employment during April.
Average hourly earnings for all private nonfarm payroll employees rose by six cents or 0.2% to $36.06. Over the past year, these earnings have increased by 3.8%. For private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees specifically, wages rose by ten cents or 0.3% to $31.06.
The report also included revisions that lowered February's job numbers by 15,000 to total at 102,000 and March's numbers reduced by 43,000 resulting in a total of 185,000 for that month—an overall reduction of combined employment figures for February and March by about 58 thousand from previously reported estimates.
Following this release showing steady hiring amidst economic uncertainty regarding tariffs markets responded positively with stocks rising during early morning trading sessions.
