US added 178K jobs in surprise March blowout
The U.S. economy added 178,000 jobs last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed Friday.
That's about three times as many as economists had expected.
The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.3%. Healthcare, construction and transportation saw the most gains, while the federal government continued to shed jobs.
Though the number of long-term unemployed didn't change much in March, that group accounted for more than a quarter of all unemployed Americans.
The share of working-age Americans in the labor force fell to a more than four-year low.
That's about three times as many as economists had expected.
The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.3%. Healthcare, construction and transportation saw the most gains, while the federal government continued to shed jobs.
Though the number of long-term unemployed didn't change much in March, that group accounted for more than a quarter of all unemployed Americans.
The share of working-age Americans in the labor force fell to a more than four-year low.