Nonfarm Payroll Employment Increases by 266,000 in April — Construction Employment Unchanged

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is reporting that total nonfarm payroll employment in April increased by 266,000 following increases of 770,000 in March and 536,000 in February. In April, nonfarm employment was down by 8.2 million, or 5.4%, from its pre-pandemic level in February 2020. In April both the unemployment rate, at 6.1% percent, and the number of unemployed persons, at 9.8 million, were little changed. While these measures are down considerably from their recent highs in April 2020, they still remain well above their levels prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2020. Job gains in April were led by leisure and hospitality, other services, local government and education. Employment in construction was unchanged over the month of April. Employment in the industry is up year-over-year by 917,000 but is 196,000 below its February 2020 level.