US unemployment rate ticks up to 3.9% in April as job growth slows

WASHINGTON -- US employers added fewer-than-expected 175,000 jobs in April, with the unemployment rate again ticking up to 3.9 percent, the US Labor Department reported Friday.

Job gains occurred in health care, social assistance, and transportation and warehousing, according to the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 175,000 in April, lower than the average monthly gain of 242,000 over the prior 12 months, the report noted.

In February, the unemployment rate increased to 3.9 percent, the highest level in two years, before slightly dropping to 3.8 percent in March.

The bureau noted that the unemployment rate has been in a narrow range of 3.7 percent to 3.9 percent since August 2023.

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for February was revised down by 34,000 to a gain of 236,000, and the change for March was revised up by 12,000 to a gain of 315,000. With these revisions, employment in February and March combined is 22,000 lower than previously reported.

In April, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 7 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $34.75. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.9 percent.