WASHINGTON (AP) — American employers added a surprisingly strong 178,000 new jobs last month, rebounding from a dismal February. And the unemployment rate dipped to 4.3%.
The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring marked a rebound from the loss of 133,000 jobs in February. The job gains were about three times what economists had forecast.
The unemployment rate was down from 4.4% in February.
The U.S. job market has been in a slump over the past year as companies have been hesitant to hire because of high interest rates, uncertainty over President Donald Trump's policies and over how artificial intelligence is going to affect their businesses. The war in Iran has clouded the outlook, and most economists say the impact of the war and higher energy prices were probably not fully reflected in the March jobs numbers.
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