Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 228,000 in March, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.2%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Job gains occurred in health care, in social assistance, and in transportation and warehousing. Wall Street forecasters had projected. Employment also increased in retail trade, partially reflecting the return of workers from a strike. Federal government employment declined.

‘March’s incredibly strong jobs report reflects President Trump’s efforts to reshape and rebuild our economy to put the American Worker First, with over 13,000 construction jobs added, U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. ‘Additionally, growth far exceeded expectations at 228,000 jobs created, demonstrating strong expansion that will only continue when jobs that were previously shipped overseas are brought back to the United States.’