Labor Department releases closely watched March jobs report.
The U.S. economy continued to add jobs in March and the pace of job gains picked up at a faster pace than a month ago despite economic uncertainty.
The Labor Department on Friday announced that employers added 228,000 jobs in March, above the estimate of LSEG economists, who anticipated 135,000 jobs gained.
The unemployment rate was 4.2%, slightly higher than a month ago and above economists' expectations.
The number of jobs added in the prior two months were both revised, with job creation in January revised down by 14,000 from a gain of 125,000 to 111,000; while February was revised down by 34,000 from a gain of 151,000 to 117,000. Taken together, the revisions reduce previously reported employment by 48,000 jobs.
Private sector payrolls added 209,000 jobs in March, well above the 127,000 projected by LSEG economists.
Government payrolls added 19,000 jobs in March. Within the sector, federal employment declined by 4,000 jobs in March after a decline of 11,000 jobs in January. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that employees on paid leave or receiving ongoing severance pay are counted as employed in the establishment survey.