Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 211,000 in April, an increase from March’s downwardly revised figure of 79,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rate moved down to 4.4%, the lowest rate in more than 10 years.
Private service-providing industries added a net 173,000 jobs, led by gains in leisure and hospitality services, which added 55,000 during the month, and by health care and social assistance, which added 41,000.
Goods-producing employment rose by 21,000 jobs during the month, as gains in mining and logging led the way by adding 10,000.
The civilian labor force participation rate was 62.9%, a 0.1% decrease from March. The number of long-term unemployed, those jobless for 27 weeks or more, was little changed at 1.6 million and accounted for 22.6% of the unemployed. The number of discouraged workers was 450,000, falling for the third straight month.
Average hourly earnings increased by 7 cents to $26.19, after a 2-cent increase in March. Over the past year, average hourly earnings have risen by 65 cents, or 2.5%.
Read the BLS release.
