US Nonfarm Payroll Increases by 178,000 in March; Unemployment at 4.3%

On Friday, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 178,000 in March, following a decline of 133,000 in February.

The unemployment rate edged down by 0.1 percentage points to 4.3%, with 7.2 million people unemployed (little changed).

Growth was led by the following sectors:

• Health care added 76,000 jobs.
• Construction added 26,000 jobs but had shown little net change over the prior 12 months.
• Transportation and warehousing added 21,000 jobs but remains down by 139,000 since its peak in February 2025.
• Social assistance added 14,000 jobs, continuing its upward trend.

Job losses were concentrated in the following sectors:

• Federal government employment fell by 18,000 jobs. Since peaking in October 2024, federal government employment is down by 355,000 jobs (11.8%).
• Financial activities shed 15,000 jobs.

Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; information; 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 January was revised up by 34,000, from 126,000 to 160,000, and the change for February was revised down by 41,000, from -92,000 to -133,000. With these revisions, employment in January and February combined is 7,000 lower than previously reported.