The report, released Friday, showed that the unemployment rate in April fell slightly to 3.4% from 3.5% in March.
April’s jobs gain was significantly less than the 420,000 jobs added in April of last year. Friday’s report also showed that 43,000 people left the labor force last month and were no longer counted as unemployed. The Labor Department revised previously-reported job gains downward for February and March.
Which industries saw the most significant growth last month? The professional and business services, healthcare, hospitality, and social assistance industries accounted for more than half of the new jobs. Average hourly earnings increased 4.4% from 12 months ago.
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