U.S. hiring remained sturdy in April as the economy added 177,000 jobs despite jitters over President Donald Trump’s massive import tariffs and widening federal government layoffs.
But payroll gains for February and March were revised down sharply, at least partly offsetting the big jump last month.
The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, the Labor Department said Friday.
Ahead of the report, economists forecast 135,000 job gains, according to a Bloomberg survey.
“The ‘R’ word that the labor market is demonstrating in this report is resilience, certainly not recession,” said Olu Sonola, head of U.S. economic research for Fitch Ratings.
So far this year, monthly job gains are averaging 143,000, down from 168,000 in 2024 but a solid figure in light of heightened uncertainty over the Trump administration’s economic policies and stock market turmoil.
What field is hiring the most right now?
Health care, a steady payroll generator the past couple of years, again led the job gains with 51,000. Transportation and warehousing added 29,000 as many companies stepped up imports ahead of tariffs. Leisure and hospitality, which includes restaurants and bars, added 24,000; professional and business services, 17,000; and financial activities, 14,000.
But manufacturing cut 1,000 jobs and retail shed 1,800. Both industries are beset by uncertainty amid tariffs that are likely to squeeze their profits or curtail sales as they pass the costs to consumers.
And federal employment declined by 9,000 in a sign that sweeping cuts by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are starting to crimp the jobs numbers.