The U. S. unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent in April and 211,000 new jobs were created, a Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday said.
May 5 (UPI) — The U. S. unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent in April and 211,000 new jobs were created, a Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday said.
The labor market rebounded from March, in which 79,000 new jobs were created, a weather-related slowdown that was the lowest monthly increase since last spring. The unemployment rate is currently the lowest in a decade, and average wages improved 7 cents per hour, to $26.19 per hour, after a 2 cent increase in March. The data point to a stronger growth by the U. S. economy in the second quarter after a slow first quarter, the Los Angeles Times said Friday.
The U. S. economy expanded by 0.7 percent in the first quarter of 2017.
Construction hiring improved marginally, gaining 5,000 jobs. The weakness in March’s job growth was attributed to weather largely affecting the construction trades.
The leisure and hospitality industries gained 55,000 new jobs, the April report said, after growing by 9,000 in March; healthcare and social assistance grew by 36,800 in April, compared to 16,400 in March; and retailers hired workers for 6,300 new positions in April after cutting 27,400 in March.
