The April 2025 Jobs Report & March 2025 JOLTS: The Current U.S. Employment Situation

The April 2025 U.S. job numbers and related data are out, indicating a job market that’s still holding strong:

• Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 177,000 (exceeding the Dow Jones estimate of 133,000).
• The unemployment rate held at 4.2%.
• The number of unemployed persons increased from 7.1 million to 7.2 million.

February and March’s jobs numbers were both revised down by 15,000 and 43,000, respectively.

The latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS) reported 7.2 million job openings in March, a decrease compared to February’s revised 7.5 million. There were 5.4 million hires – relatively unchanged month-over-month as businesses hesitate to add to their headcounts – and 5.1 million total separations, fewer than February’s revised 5.3 million.

Here are more key takeaways from the BLS Employment Situation and JOLTS U.S. jobs data:

• The hires rate held at 3.4% for the fourth consecutive month.
• The quits rate edged up to 2.1%.
• Average hourly earnings rose by $0.06 (0.2%) to $36.06; over the past year, wages have increased by 3.8%.
• The number of long-term unemployed persons – defined as being jobless for 27 weeks (or about 6 months) or more – rose by 179,000 to 1.7 million.
• Federal government employment decreased by 9,000 and is down 26,000 since January (employees on paid leave or receiving severance are counted as employed).

What industries are hiring now per the April 2025 jobs report? What sectors are decreasing employment? Healthcare and social assistance added 58,200 jobs, transportation and warehousing added 29,000 jobs, and leisure and hospitality added 24,000 jobs. Other major industries showed little change.

Per Talmon Joseph Smith of The New York Times, “The vast majority of data analysts say the eventual effect of President Trump’s high tariffs on the labor market will be fully appreciated only in the weeks and months to come.”

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