The monthly jobs report released Friday showed that 228,000 jobs were added to the economy in March, strongly outpacing the growth predict...
The monthly jobs report released Friday showed that 228,000 jobs were added to the economy in March, strongly outpacing the growth predicted by analysts.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics report found that transportation and warehousing, healthcare, social assistance, and retail were the largest growth areas. The employment rate remained relatively steady from February, ticking up to 4.2% from 4.1%.
March job growth rose significantly above the 140,000 increase forecasted by the Dow Jones. The rise was also much larger than the 158,000 average 12-month increase, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The report showed that 54,000 jobs were added in healthcare, 24,000 in social assistance, 23,000 in transportation and warehousing, and 24,000 in retail. The jump in retail jobs was aided by more than 10,000 grocery workers ending a strike in February.
The previous 12-month average for transportation and warehousing was a monthly gain of 12,000.
One sector that saw a notable decline was federal government jobs, which fell by 4,000. That number doesn’t include workers who are on paid leave or getting severance pay, the Bureau of Labor Statistics noted. In February, there was an 11,000 decline in government jobs. Those cuts came after the Trump administration moved to fire thousands of workers through its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project.
The news was celebrated by President Donald Trump, who said the numbers showed that his economic policies were working.
“GREAT JOB NUMBERS, FAR BETTER THAN EXPECTED. IT’S ALREADY WORKING. HANG TOUGH, WE CAN’T LOSE!!!” President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the numbers showed that the “Golden Age of America is on its way!”
“The economy is starting to roar with a strong 228,000 jobs added in the month of March — well ahead of the market’s expectation,” said Leavitt. “There was also a sharp increase in transportation, construction, and warehousing employment. The President’s push to onshore jobs here in the United States is working.”
The strong jobs report comes amid economic uncertainty after Trump imposed widespread tariffs on countries across the globe, leading to a tumbling stock market. Trump has said that his economic policies will increase domestic production and entice foreign investment in American industry.