US Nonfarm Payroll Increases by 115,000 in April; Unemployment at 4.3%

On Friday, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 115,000 in April, following an increase of 185,000 jobs in March and a decline of 156,000 in February after revisions.

The unemployment rate held at 4.3%, with 7.4 million people unemployed.

Growth was led by the following sectors:

• Health care added 37,000 jobs, in line with the average monthly gain of 32,000 over the prior 12 months.
• Transportation and warehousing increased by 30,000 jobs; however, employment in the sector is down by 105,000 since reaching a peak in February 2025.
• Retail trade added 22,000 jobs.
• Social assistance continued to trend upward, adding 17,000 jobs.

Job losses were concentrated in the following:

• Federal government employment fell by 9,000 jobs. Since peaking in October 2024, federal government payrolls have declined by 348,000, or 11.5%.
• Information employment lost 13,000 jobs.

Employment showed little change over the month in most other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services.

Monthly Revisions

Revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimate and from recalculations of seasonal factors.

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for February was revised down by 23,000, from a decline of 133,000 to a decline of 156,000, and the change for March was revised up by 7,000, from an increase of 178,000 to an increase of 185,000. With these revisions, employment in February and March combined is 16,000 lower than previously reported.