U.S. added 253,000 jobs in April, reports Labor Department

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The report, released Friday, showed that the unemployment rate in April fell slightly to 3.4 percent from 3.5 percent in March. April’s jobs gain was significantly less than the 420,000 jobs added in April of last year. Friday’s report also showed that 43,000 people left the labor force last month and were no longer counted as unemployed. The Labor Department revised previously-reported job gains downward for February and March.

Which industries saw the most significant growth last month? The professional and business services, healthcare, hospitality, and social assistance industries accounted for more than half of the new jobs. Average hourly earnings increased 4.4 percent from 12 months ago.

Dig deeper: Read Jerry Bowyer’s column in WORLD Opinions about investors’ no-confidence vote in the U.S. economy in 2023.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.