by paul gomme and peter rupert
The BLS announced that payroll employment increased 178,000. The private sector added 186,000 while the government sector shed 8,000 jobs. Revisions to the two previous months were pretty much a wash, with January revised up 34,000 and February revised down 41,000.
The private service sector added the bulk of the jobs, increasing 143,000 with 89,900 coming from health care and social assistance.
Average weekly hours fell from 34.3 to 34.2. Combined with the employment change means that total hours fell slightly. Average hourly wa
Average hourly earnings rose from $37.29 to $37.38. Over the year earnings growth continues to outpace CPI inflation, meaning real wages have been rising since 2023.
