Employment rose, unemployment rate unchanged in April

Employment rose in April, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.2 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 274,000 over the month. Job growth was widespread, with gains in construction, mining, and several service-providing industries.

Total employment grew by 598,000 in April to 141.1 million, and the employment-population ratio—the proportion of the population age 16 and over with jobs—edged up to 62.6 percent.

Employment in manufacturing was little changed in April at 14.3 million, with small and offsetting movements among several of its components. Long-term employment declines continued in furniture and related products and in textile mills. Primary metals and fabricated metals showed marginal gains.