BLS: 211,000 Jobs Added in April, Unemployment Rate Down to 4.4 Percent

The latest jobs numbers are out from the federal government. What do they mean for job seekers and employers? Here’s a quick take from Glassdoor’s Chief Economist Dr. Andrew Chamberlain: With President Trump’s first 100 days in office behind us, this morning’s jobs report showed the nation’s labor market continued its upward path in April, adding 211,000 new jobs and an unemployment rate down to 4.4 percent -- a ten-year low. Most economists were expecting a slight uptick in job gains compared to March, which added just 79,000 jobs -- partly due to unseasonal weather. Average hourly wages in the BLS report were up just 2.5 percent from one year ago to $26.19 per hour. That’s down from 2.7 percent growth last month, and 2.8 percent in February. The Glassdoor Local Pay Reports show the same slowing trend in overall wage growth, which peaked at 3.1 percent in December and has fallen slightly each month since. The biggest job gains by industry in April were in the relatively low-paying leisure and hospitality, which added 55,000 jobs. Other big gains were in professional and business services (which includes many tech employers) (+39,000 jobs), health care (+36,800 jobs), and finance (+19,000 jobs.) The weakest job growth was in information (which includes most media) which lost 7,000 jobs, followed by durable goods manufacturing (-3,000 jobs). While Glassdoor data show an increase in manufacturing job postings on Glassdoor during Trump’s first 100 days, today’s BLS numbers show that has yet to translate into actual hiring by employers. Today’s positive BLS report marks 94 months for the current economic expansion, or nearly eight years. That’s well beyond the norm -- since WWII the average length of time between recessions has been about 58 months or around five years. As the economy heats up and the unemployment rate continues its decline, economists will be watching closely for signs of how long today’s strong monthly job gains can continue. To speak with Dr. Andrew Chamberlain about today’s jobs report or to discuss labor market trends, contact pr at Glassdoor dot com. For the latest economics and labor market updates, follow @adchamberlain on Twitter and subscribe to Glassdoor Economic Research.