March 2019 Jobs Report

Unemployment Rate: 3.8 percent

Jobs Created: 196,000

Employment and Unemployment

1. The Department of Labor reported the unemployment rate stayed at 3.8 percent in March.

2.  Nonfarm jobs grew by 196,000 in March. Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal had expected 175,000 jobs.

3.  Job growth in January and February was stronger than originally reported. Labor revised the numbers for those months upward by a combined 14,000.

4.  The U-6 unemployment rate, a measure that also includes part-time and discouraged workers, held steady at 7.3 percent. By this measure, roughly 12.1 million Americans are unemployed.

Labor Force Participation

1. The labor force participation rate, the share of people employed or looking for work, fell 0.2 percentage points to 63.0 percent.

Wages

1. In March, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 4 cents to $27.70. It is a 3.2 percent increase from a year ago.