Environmental Career Center – Helping people work for a better environment since 1980

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports today (May 4) that employers added 115,000 jobs in April.  The jobs number is lower than anticipated compared to an average increase of 225,000 the previous four months.  However, employment for February and March was revised significantly upward by 53,000 additional jobs (February + 19,000, March +34,000).

The unemployment rate has fallen to 8.1 percent in April and is a full percentage point better from a recent high of 9.1 percent last August.

The job market was retracting heavily during the depths of the recession in 2008 and early 2009 with job losses of over 750,000 several months.  Many economists believe that the real employment picture today is + 200,000 jobs per month – somewhere in between the December/ January highs and February/March lows.  Hiring the first quarter was impacted disproportionately by unseasonably warm weather in many parts of the country.

April is the 8th month in a row in which the economy generated 100,000 jobs or more and the 26th straight month of positive job growth.  125,000 jobs are needed each month to keep up with growth in the potential labor force.  Government employment continues to contract with a loss of 15,000 jobs in April.