The United States labor market once again showed signs of stability in April. Although the economy did not advance at the same pace as previous months, Companies still continued to hire staff and the unemployment rate remained unchanged.
The new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) confirmed that 115,000 jobs were created during the montha figure that exceeded the expectations of 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 currently 7.4 million unemployed people in the country.
The report also showed that labor participation remained at 61.8%, while the proportion of people with jobs compared to the entire population was 59.1%.
The sectors that boosted hiring in April were health, transportation and storagein addition to retail. The health area led the creation of jobs with 37,000 new positions. Within this sector, care centers and residences for patients, as well as home health care services, stood out.
The transportation and warehousing sector added 30,000 jobs. Much of that growth occurred in courier and package delivery companies, which added 38,000 jobs.. However, the BLS clarified that this industry is still below the levels recorded in February 2025.
Retail trade also reported positive movement with 22,000 new jobs. The largest hiring occurred in supermarkets, general merchandise stores, and construction and gardening materials businesses. In contrast, department stores and electronics stores continued to lose workers.
On the other hand, employment within the federal government fell again. 9,000 positions were eliminated in April and, since October 2024, the federal government has lost nearly 348,000 jobsequivalent to a reduction of 11.5%.
The information industry He also continued to show weakness. This sector, which includes telecommunications, cinema, sound recording and technological services, lost 13,000 jobs during April. According to the BLS, since the end of 2022 this industry has accumulated a drop of more than 340,000 positions.
Another fact that caught attention was the increase in people working part-time for economic reasons. The figure rose by 445,000 people, reaching 4.9 million. This means that many workers would prefer to have full-time employment, but have not been able to obtain it or their working hours were reduced.
Regarding salaries, The average hourly income increased 6 cents in April, reaching $37.41 dollars. Compared to last year, salaries have risen 3.6%. The average working day also had a slight increase and stood at $34.3 hours per week.
The jobs report comes amid economic concerns related to the conflict between the United States and Iran and rising energy prices. Even so, Several specialists consider that the labor market continues to show resistance.
“The addition of 115,000 jobs in April continues to highlight the resilience of the US labor market,” Jerry Tempelman, vice president of economic research and fixed income at Mutual of The USA Capital Management, told CBS Recordsdata. “Despite higher gas prices, we have seen minimal disruptions to the U.S. economy due to the conflict in the Middle East.”
However, the specialist also warned of possible risks for the coming months. He pointed out to the information portal that the impact of higher oil prices 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 133,000 to 156,000 jobs eliminated. Meanwhile, March was adjusted slightly upwards, with 185,000 new jobs.
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