U.S. payrolls rose by 178,000 in March, more than expected; unemployment at 4.3%
Source: CNBC
Published Fri, Apr 3 2026 8:30 AM EDT Updated 5 Min Ago
The U.S. labor market bounced back in March, with job creation much stronger than expected though the broader picture of a slow-growth labor market held intact.
Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 178,000 during the month, a reversal from the 133,000 decline in February and better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 59,000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. February’s number was revised down by 41,000 while January was revised up by 34,000 to 160,000, putting the three-month average around 68,000.
The unemployment rate edged lower to 4.3%, though that was largely from a sharp reduction in the labor force.
“The bottom line is March was somewhat encouraging, but it’s been a rocky year for the labor market with almost no hiring since last April,” said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. “The March data will keep the Federal Reserve on hold, but no one is declaring victory yet. It’s likely to be a tough spring for job seekers.”
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/03/jobs-report-march-2026-.html
From the source -
Link to tweet
@BLS_gov
Payroll employment increases by 178,000 in March; unemployment rate changes little at 4.3% https://bls.gov/news.release/e
mpsit.nr0.htm
#JobsReport #BLSdata
8:31 AM · Apr 3, 2026
Stay tuned for DU's dogged analysts for the deep dives and TGIF!
Article updated.
Previous article -
The U.S. labor market bounced back in March, with job creation much stronger than expected though the broader picture of a slow-growth labor market held intact.
Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 178,000 during the month, a reversal from the 133,000 decline in February and better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 59,000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. February's number was revised down by 41,000 while January was revised up by 34,000 to 160,000, putting the three-month average around 68,000.
With job creation higher, the unemployment rate edged lower to 4.3%.
As has been the case, health care was responsible for much of the growth, with the sector adding 76,000. A strike at health-care provider Kaiser Permanente in February took 31,000 off that month's total and has since been settled.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
Original article -
Nonfarm payrolls were expected to increase by 59,000 in March, with the unemployment rate holding at 4.4%, according to the Dow Jones consensus estimate.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
= new reply since forum marked as read
https://www.vpm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2025-09-08/former-head-of-the-bureau-of-labor-statistics-discusses-future-of-u-s-labor-data
Interesting discussion with a former head of the BLS. She stated she has fears the data might be altered in the future. This conversation was in September.
I guess we'll find out when and if they can amend these numbers down the road. I predict lies and obfuscation.
From this for January (https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143614651)
to this for February, with about a 4,000 downward revision of January (https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143627754)
to now for March (with a 40,000+ downward revision of Feb. but a 30,000+ upward 2nd revision of Jan.) -
On the whole, the job market is all but frozen, with little in the way of hiring or turnover. And for recent college graduates, it’s even worse.
The April jobs report looks good — but there’s rot underneath.
— TheBlackPage (Woke, DEI forever against fascism) (@theblackpage.bsky.social) 2026-04-03T17:16:38.915Z
On the whole, the job market is all but frozen, with little in the way of hiring or turnover. And for recent college graduates, it’s even worse.
www.ms.now/opinion/jobs...
https://www.ms.now/opinion/jobs-report-reaction
?resize=560,695
Overall, the job market is all but frozen, with little in the way of hiring or turnover. And for recent college graduates, it’s even worse, which might help explain Trump’s faltering support among this cohort. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, more than 40 percent of college graduates between the ages of 22 and 27 hold jobs that typically don’t require a college degree. That high a share is usually seen only during economic downturns and their immediate aftermath, and is comparable to rates seen in the aftermath of the Great Recession.....
Economists are increasingly predicting stagflation – a period of low growth and high inflation – for the U.S. No surprise, consumer sentiment is all but in the toilet, with the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment survey at near-record lows and huge numbers of Americans say they believe the country is heading in the wrong direction.....
At the same time, the extreme corruption of the Trump administration is also giving companies a license to raise prices and otherwise treat their customers like chumps without a choice. The gutting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has left Americans with nowhere to turn when a credit card issuer or bank does them wrong. The de facto refusal to enforce antitrust statutes will almost certainly raise costs for Americans as well.
As I’ve pointed out before, Trump’s economy in many ways resembles to a multi-level marketing scheme. The only people making out here are the wealthiest of the wealthy, who are benefitting from tax cuts, while Trump performs his lifelong serial con bait and switch on the rest of us. This month’s job numbers are almost certainly offering more of the same – they look good on first glance, but dig beneath the surface, and the rot quickly becomes apparent.
