Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 228,000 in March, and the unemployment rate edged up to 4.2%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
Job gains occurred in health care, in social assistance, and in transportation and warehousing. Employment also increased in retail trade, partially reflecting the return of workers from a strike. Federal government employment declined.
Health care added 54,000 jobs in March, in line with the average monthly gain of 52,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, employment continued to trend up in ambulatory health care services (+20,000), hospitals (+17,000), and nursing and residential care facilities (+17,000).
In March, employment in social assistance increased by 24,000, higher than the average monthly gain of 19,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, individual and family services added 22,000 jobs.
Retail trade added 24,000 jobs in March, as workers returning from a strike contributed to a job gain in food and beverage retailers (+21,000). General merchandise retailers lost 5,000 jobs. Employment in retail trade changed little over the year.
Employment in transportation and warehousing rose by 23,000 in March, about double the prior 12- month average gain of 12,000. In March, job gains in couriers and messengers (+16,000) and truck transportation (+10,000) were partially offset by a job loss in warehousing and storage (-9,000).
Within government, federal government employment declined by 4,000 in March.
In March, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 9 cents, or 0.3%, to $36.00. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.8%. The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for January was revised down by 14,000, from +125,000 to +111,000, and the change for February was revised down by 34,000, from +151,000 to +117,000. With these revisions, employment in January and February combined is 48,000 lower than previously reported.
Read the BLS release.
