U.S. Hiring Jumped in April; Unemployment Falls to 3.6%

Nation saw increased employment in professional business services, construction and health care.

American employers picked up the pace of hiring in April and the unemployment rate fell to a fresh half-century low, adding to signs of a healthy U.S. economy.

Nonfarm payrolls increased a seasonally adjusted 263,000 in April, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate fell to 3.6% last month, the lowest level since December 1969. Average hourly wages for private-sector workers grew 3.2% from a year earlier, matching the prior month’s increase.

Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected 190,000 new jobs in April, a 3.8% unemployment rate, and 3.3% wage growth from a year earlier.

Revised figures show employers added 189,000 jobs in March and 56,000 jobs in February, a net upward revision of 16,000.

Through the first four months of the year, employers added an average of 205,000 jobs to payrolls each month. That was a slowdown from the robust 223,000 jobs added each month, on average, last year, and roughly in line with the 201,000 added on average during current the 103-month stretch of job creation. The streak, which began in October 2010, is by far the longest on record.

Last month’s hiring was lead by increased employment in professional business services, construction and health care. Employment in retail fell for the third straight month. All levels of government added a net 27,0000 jobs in April.