Key Points:
- Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 236,000 in March as the unemployment rate changed little at 3.5%.
- Consensus among economists was a gain of 240,000 jobs.
- In March, the unemployed population dipped to 5.8 million but job openings fell to 9.9 million in February.
- Leisure and hospitality added 72,000 jobs in March, government rose by 47,000, employment in professional and business services rose 39,000, and health care added 34,000 jobs.
- Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including construction, manufacturing, and wholesale trade.
- In March, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by $0.09 to $33.18.
- The average workweek for all private employees fell by 0.1 hours again to 34.4 hours.
- The labor force participation rate was little changed at 62.6% and is 0.7% below its February 2020 level.