04.07.2017
Employers added 98000 nonfarm payroll jobs in March of 2017 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate declined to 4.5 percent.
Job gains occurred in professional and business services but there were job losses in retail trade. The number of jobs in professional and business services increased by 56000 over the month while retail trade lost 30000 jobs.
Job growth in February 2017 was revised to 219000 down from the initially estimated 235000. Over the past three months job growth has averaged 178000 additions a month.
Average hourly earnings rose by five cents to $26.14 following a seven-cent increase in February. Over the year average hourly earnings have risen 2.7 percent.
The full BLS press release on the March 2017 employment situation can be accessed in the link below:
The next employment situation report for April 2017 will be released on Friday May 5 2017.
