Labor Department reports 228K jobs added in March to US economy, nearly double expectations

The Labor Department reported Friday that the U.S. economy in March added 228,000 jobs, nearly double expectations.

The department's Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports the unemployment rate for last month was 4.2%, up slightly from February.

Market experts projected 140,000 (non-farm) jobs were added last month and the unemployment rate would be 4.1%, the same as in February, according to consensus estimates compiled by Bloomberg and reported by Yahoo Finance.

The U.S. economy added 151,000 jobs in February.

The annual 4.2% unemployment rate for March was the highest since November 2024, according to CNBC.