The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that total nonfarm employment increased by 175,000 in April and the unemployment rate rose to 3.9%, one tenth more than the previous month, when it was 3.8%.
The number of jobs is lower than the calculations of economists, who expected 243,000, although they had anticipated that job creation would suffer in the spring.
Among major groups of workers, the unemployment rate for adult men increased in April (3.6%). The rate for African Americans decreased (5.6%), offsetting an increase in the previous month.
Unemployment rates for adult women (3.5%), adolescents (11.7%), whites (3.5%). Asians (2.8%) and Hispanics (4.8%) showed little change over the month.
The number of long-term unemployed (those unemployed for 27 weeks or more), at 1.3 million, was essentially unchanged in April. The long-term unemployed represented 19.6% of the total number of unemployed people.
The labor force participation rate remained at 62.7% in April, and the proportion of the employed population barely changed at 60.2%.
The number of people employed part-time for economic reasons was 4.5 million, which implied little change for the month.
The number of non-active people who currently want a job was 5.6 million. These people were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the 4 weeks prior to the survey or were not available to take a job.
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 175,000 in April, less than the monthly average of 242,000 over the previous 12 months. In April, employment growth occurred in the health sector, social assistance, and transportation and warehousing.
According to the BLS, median hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 7 cents, or 0.2%, to $34.75. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased 3.9%. Average hourly earnings for private sector production and non-supervisory employees rose 6 cents, or 0.2%, to $29.83.
The unemployment data was announced two days after the Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates unchanged in the United States, in the range of 5.25% and 5.5%, their highest level since 2001.
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