Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 215,000 in March, and the unemployment rate changed little at 5.0%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Employment increased in retail trade, construction and health care. Job losses occurred in manufacturing and mining.
In March, the 5.0% unemployment rate and the number of unemployed persons (8 million) changed little. Both measures have shown little movement since August.
The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was essentially unchanged at 2.2 million in March and has shown little movement since June. In March, these individuals accounted for 27.6% of the unemployed.
In March, the labor force participation rate (63.0%) and the employment population ratio (59.9%) changed little. Both measures were up by 0.6 percentage point since September.
Highlights of the March report include:
- Retail trade added 48,000 jobs.
- Construction employment rose by 37,000.
- Employment in healthcare increased by 37,000.
- Employment continued to trend up in food services and drinking places (+25,000) and in financial activities (+15,000).
- Employment in professional and business services changed little for the third month in a row.
- Employment in manufacturing declined by 29,000.
- Mining employment continued to decline (by 12,000).
- Employment in other major industries, including wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, information and government, changed little.