US Adds 115,000 Jobs in April

Wage growth is a little down this month, may ease pressure on inflation.

Unpaywalled: https://archive.ph/J3Bep

WaPo report with charts: https://archive.ph/zTBaS

    In April, health care added 37,000 jobs, in line with the average monthly gain of 32,000 over
    the prior 12 months. Over the month, job gains occurred in nursing and residential care
    facilities (+15,000) and home health care services (+11,000).
    
    Transportation and warehousing employment increased by 30,000 in April, reflecting a gain in
    couriers and messengers (+38,000). However, employment in transportation and warehousing is
    down by 105,000 since reaching a peak in February 2025.
     
    Retail trade added 22,000 jobs in April. Employment increased in warehouse clubs,
    supercenters, and other general merchandise retailers (+18,000) and in building material and
    garden equipment and supplies dealers (+13,000). These gains were partially offset by job
    losses in department stores (-7,000) and in electronics and appliance retailers (-2,000).
    Retail trade employment had shown little net change over the prior 12 months.
       
    Employment in social assistance continued to trend up in April (+17,000), reflecting a gain of
    24,000 jobs in individual and family services.
     
    Federal government employment continued to decline in April (-9,000). Since reaching a peak in
    October 2024, federal government employment is down by 348,000, or 11.5 percent. Federal
    employees on furlough during the partial government shutdown were counted as employed in the
    establishment survey because they worked or received (or will receive) pay for the pay period
    that included the 12th of the month.
    
    Employment in information continued to trend down in April (-13,000). Telecommunications lost
    3,000 jobs, while employment continued to trend down in motion picture and sound recording
    industries (-6,000) and in computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting,
    and related services (-4,000). Information employment is down by 342,000, or 11.0 percent,
    since its most recent peak in November 2022.
    
    Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining,
    quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; financial
    activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services.