U.S. Posts Robust Job Gains, Data Offer Mixed Inflation Signs

U.S. hiring advanced at a robust pace in April, yet a smaller labor force may increase pressure on employers to boost wages even more to bring workers back.

That dynamic will likely complicate the Federal Reserve’s fight to tame decades-high inflation, as central bankers work to bring labor demand in line with supply.

Nonfarm payrolls rose 428,000 last month in a broad-based advance, matching the gain in March, a Labor Department report showed Friday. The unemployment rate held at 3.6% and average hourly earnings rose, albeit at a more moderate...