Private sector employment saw largest gain since March 2006
Employment in the United States grew at the fastest pace in four years in April as businesses ramped up hiring, according to the latest figures from the Labor Department.
Employers added 290,000 jobs last month, far more than analysts had anticipated. In addition, 121,000 more jobs were created in February and March than previously estimated.
The unemployment rate, however, rose to 9.9 per cent as discouraged workers started to look for work again.
Private sector employment increased 231,000, the largest gain since March 2006. Analysts had expected private payrolls to rise between 50,000 and 100,000. Like overall employment, private payrolls have now grown for four straight months.
Hiring for the decennial U.S. census also contributed 66,000 jobs in April.
Manufacturing payrolls saw their largest gain since 1998 and construction employment defied expectations of a fall. Service sector payrolls advanced for a fourth month, and temporary help hiring also rose.
However, the number of people who had been out of work for 27 weeks or more rose to 6.7 million. That represented a record 45.9 per cent of the total 15.3 million unemployed in April.
In addition, a broad measure of unemployment that includes workers who want a job but have stopped looking and those working part time for economic reasons rose to 17.1 per cent from 16.9 per cent in March.
More than eight million jobs were lost during the recession and economists warn it will take years to regain them.
Reuters
