U.S. payrolls increased 115,000 in April, more than expected; unemployment at 4.3%

Job creation was better than expected in April, as the U.S. labor market continued to defy expectations for a slowdown this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

Nonfarm payrolls rose by a seasonally adjusted 115,000 for the month, down from the 185,000 created in an unusually strong March but better than the 55,000 forecast in the Dow Jones consensus estimate.

The unemployment rate held at 4.3%, further proof that the labor market has reached a point where only modest job creation is needed to keep the jobless level steady, given little growth in the labor force.

Average hourly earnings, another closely watched metric of labor market health, came in lower than expected, increasing 0.2% for the month and 3.6% on an annual basis, compared to respective estimates for 0.3% and 3.8%.

Stock market futures held onto gains following the release while Treasury yields were lower.

Following recent trends, health care led with 37,000 new positions, though multiple other sectors also saw gains.

Transportation and warehousing added 30,000, retail grew by 22,000 and social assistance saw a gain of 17,000.

On the downside, information services lost 13,000, part of a continuing trend that has seen the sector down 342,000 jobs since November 2022 as artificial intelligence has hit the sector, according to the BLS. That has equated to a loss of 11% of jobs during the period.

A broader measure that includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time jobs for economic reasons rose to 8.2%, up 0.2 percentage point. The household survey, which the bureau uses to calculate the unemployment rate, showed a decline of 226,000 workers as the participation rate declined to 61.8%, the lowest since October 2021.

The so-called real unemployment rate jumped in large part to a surge in those employed part-time for economic reasons, often referred to as unemployed. The level rose by 445,000 to 4.9 million.

Revisions from prior reports were mixed: The March count rose by 7,000 while the February number moved even lower, down by 23,000 to a loss of 156,000. The initial report put the February job loss at 92,000.

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