With unemployment rate dropping to 5.4%, U.S. added 223K jobs in April

The U.S. economy added 223k jobs in April, and even modest wage growth couldn’t derail the positivity from the lowest unemployment rate since 2008.

For the U.S. economy, it’s been a long and difficult road. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released their monthly assessment of employment and found that the economy had added 223,000 jobs. Unemployment hit a 7-year low, as the rate of unemployed workers fell to just 5.4%. Throughout the course of the last year alone, nearly 1.1 million jobs have been added – giving Americans new reason to remain hopeful that their economy can recapture the glory it felt in the 90s and early 00s, amid the Internet boom.

The problem at this point though is that the initial reports have been getting modified after their release, which has made many question the validity and significance of the figures released. For example, while February was adjusted up – which was a net positive for the economy; March experienced the exact opposite fate.

US-Economy-added-223k-jobs

It was initially reported that March saw 126,000 jobs added when that report was later adjusted to reflect a net gain of just 85,000 jobs. This uncertainty is what has made understanding the U.S. economy so difficult in recent years.

Professional and business services added the most jobs, the report showed. It pointed to 62,000 jobs being added in that category alone. However, this growth isn’t something that’s completely unheard of, even if it is nearly double what the previous months had seen in this space in terms of growth. Health care was the other major gainer in April, according to the findings of the report.

It revealed that 45,000 jobs were added in this space. One major reason, which fits in well with the message President Obama has been sending to Americans is that this is due to more people having health insurance.

Gregory Daco, the head of U.S. macroeconomics at Oxford Economics USA Inc., pointed out, “The pace of employment is quite encouraging.” Overall, the numbers are good to see, but they don’t necessarily reflect the change that many Americans want to see at this point.

Ronald Sanchez of Fiduciary Trust Company International pointed out that, “It’s a bit of a relief; you see a nice bounce-off from March.” He went on to elaborate, pointing out that, “the question is about the pace of the bounce-back. Today we got a sign that we are getting a little bit of a bounce-back, but it was far from a robust number.” This is certainly the more realistic way of looking at the current unemployment situation in the U.S.

The report also revealed that the average hourly wage of non-farm employees only rose 3 cents. Which is lighter than what many had hoped. This is only adding fuel to the debate around the income gap here in the U.S., and will surely be the center of any conversation on the subject, as long as good reports continue to come out and unemployment continues to lower, even if it lowers modestly.

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  • Bottom line- the deadbeats are out of options and are forced to get up
    off the couch and take menial work.

    • I wouldn’t call someone with an MBA, forced to work at 7-11 after 5 years of losing out to H1-B candidates, a loser. Maybe you should get up off your couch and read something other than the daily comics.

  • I really wish they would stop printing these absurd press releases. The unemployment rate is totally irrelevant. The number of people with jobs is more, but the total of wages being paid is less. If you fire one person making 50K a year and hire 2 people at 25K a year to fill his place, you have not really created more jobs. Additionally, the number of people who have given up and left the job market altogether hasn’t been this high since women entered the workforce some 50 years ago. Smoke and mirrors people. The plain truth is, the American people are being attacked on a daily basis by the idle elite, the top 1% of the top 1%, and the politicians who work for them instead of the American people.

  • Haters gonna hate. The economy is far better than it was when Bush left it demolished.

    • The democrat housing bubble that started under Clinton is what crashed the economy. Obama has a couple bubbles that will be popping soon as well.

      • Right… Because two wars that cost trillions had nothing to do with it? Also, if you’re right, then Bush must have been dumber than everyone thought since he had EIGHT years to correct the “bubble Clinton created” and did nothing. He even took credit for the housing thing…

        “We can put light where there’s darkness, and hope where there’s despondency in this country. And part of it is working together as a nation to encourage folks to own their own home.” – GWB 2002

      • Hey Courtney you are right about the Clinton era and the housing bubble. Actually it was called the Community Reinvestment Act passed under Clinton that forced banks to lend to substandard risks. There was even testimony from Chuck Schumer in 1997 that suggested banks would fail.

    • It’s true, haters gotta hate. It’s also true that posters, such as yourself, ignore the whole picture because a bumper sticker sized statement fits the image you prefer. If you are not a child, then you need to mature.

      • Not to worry matey. I’m almost 50 years old and have seen what the affects of unrelenting war spending does to an economy. Let me know when you need a lesson on why simply spending money on conflict that went on longer than WW2 is NOT good economics. I’ll even explain it like you are a five year old.

  • More Obama and friends propaganda….so pathetic that most Americans probably believe this without doubt! For god sakes, isn’t it obvious how much damage this admin has done to America???? Just look at the group who built this country and who’s tax dollars are being manipulated, used to enrich the Clinton’s and the rest of the Dem polititians who use other people’s money to promote their own special interests???? It’s hideously pathetic how the mass voters have no idea how they’re being used!!!

    • the Americans who have gotten more and better jobs, such as myself, since Obama has taken office believe it, those that haven’t don’t.

  • Why do they continue to peddle this lie? The jobless rate ignores 94 million jobless. It’s a disgrace the liberals are allowed to print outright disinformation on what are supposed to be professional pubs.

    • You want to count high schoolers, college kids, and retired people? Because that’s what the 90 plus million number includes, the reality is closer to 8.5 million which is still bad but not 90 million bad.
      You might want to rethink who you get your information from when they are that wrong about something.

  • it’s not that they’re BS; It’s the intent and narcissistic attitude this admin has to keep naive and not so bright voters thinking things are GREAT! Well, they are …if your Democrats and use your positions of power and influence to get foriegn and domestic money for your “foundations” like Clinton’s who have become so wealthy, most americans wouldn’t believe it! That’s my opinion anyways!

  • The real number is 11%, not counting those who dropped off of unemployment is BS.

    • The U6 numbers show 10.8% which is actually an even greater turnaround than the official U3 numbers. U6 shows a 6.3%turnaround since October 2009, and the official U3 numbers show only a 4.5% turnaround.

  • Many gave up looking, more and more 62 year old workers who lost their jobs gave up looking and took early Social Security once their unemployment benefits ran out! Something was better than nothing!

  • With unemployment rate dropping to 5.4%, U.S. added 223K jobs in April . . .

    It was not very many years ago that, if I remember correctly, it took 250K jobs a month just keep up with population growth. Now they are telling us that 223K jobs reduces the jobless rate by .1%! What I would like to know how that can be with the US population much higher now than then?

    • The US population is more or less stabilized with fertility rates from 1.9 to 2.1. (Essentially meaning no population growth; for each mating pair, there is 2 children.) Even at a lower population in previous years, a fertility rate of 2.5 or 2.7 can (and did) result in more children born per year than a higher population can at 1.9-2.1.

      • Yes the birth rate is such to produce a stable population until one takes into consideration of immigration both legal and undocumented (illegal). In my community (not on the Rio Grand) has gone from almost white with some black thrown in to a much greater shade of brown. It is getting to the point that unless one speaks Spanish one cannot listen in on conversations in wal mart and other places. And these Undocumented Immigrants usually have larger families.

  • Nobody is buying this improving economy b.s. any longer except media companies who want to pretend trickle down economics still works. The jobs don’t pay anything to stimulate economy and Trans-Pacific Partnership wants to send even more jobs out of America. There never will be any economic recovery in America, only constant lies about an imaginary economic recovery to quell rebellion.

  • So the 93,000,000 layabouts don’t count? It is scary how dishonest the federal government has become. Don’t look behind the curtain or the flying monkey drones will come for you.

  • The middle class wi0ll never be the same as big business has ruined this country with their greed. What we have lost will take us years to obtain again while big business just gets richer. I was a builder and lost everything and at my retirement age, I will never get back to what I worked for. I have lost my faith in our corrupt government who only listen to who donates the most and pass bills that promote more big business. I could go on but who cares certainly not our government. They have social security a mess and medicare is on the brink of disaster but they still get there big raises and have a wonderful retirement plan and health care plan. Sorry folks for ranting on.

  • Total BS. You people just love running these stories for the last 6 years…. Get a brain.

  • Lies, lies, lies. Look around. The richest have gotten richer due to Obama’s easy Fed money, the rest of us have stagnant or falling income. We are being overrun by millions of poor, uneducated illegals who are driving down wages for the unskilled. Automation threatens 30% of all jobs in the next decade. The blacks are rioting after 50 years of generational dependence on the Democrat Plantation. Record underemployment. Record poverty. Record foodstamps. Record disability. Record national debt. Record divisiveness. Record lies from the communists in the white house.

  • This gets so old but differently for me. Everyone (I would hope) knows there are a lot of job numbers published. And yes, everyone knows they don’t factor in a lot of important information. Since this is common knowledge why does everyone think it is propaganda? It would be hard to argue we are worse off than before Obama started office, regardless of who or what we give credit to. That is what most people will respond to. Bringing back any measurable quality of life and living won’t happen in the U.S. again. It isn’t possible in a global economy where money and goods flow freely. The reality is we are and will be a service sector country and that will lead to large swings in a wide range of areas. It is clear manufacturing will not return to the U.S. and we have to go back many, many Presidents and Congresses for that as well as the American consumer who wants inexpensive, quality products despite the long term consequences.

  • It’s a BS Number. Today unemployment is the worst it’s been in 35 years. The Participation Rate is at a 35 year low and this is the real measure of unemployment. The rate represents the number of people that are working out of every 100 people. So today the Participation Rate is at 63! That means that 37 people out of every 100 are not working. That number should be in the high 60’s. So yes we have an unemployment problem. If you dig further there are 500,000 fewer people working today than there were when Obama took office.

    http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000

  • The numbers are BS. Willing and able workers who can’t find jobs are scrubbed from the lists, making the unemployment number look good by simply ignoring all but the short-term unemployed. Millions of kids are coming out of school to find that the available jobs won’t even cover their school loan payments, much less their living expenses. Older workers who in the past would now be retired, making room for younger replacements, must now work well past what used to be called “retirement age” just to keep a roof overhead and food on the table. The government job statistics call anyone “employed” who has been paid for ONE HOUR of work in the past month, which bolsters the numbers but not the economy. And even those numbers are “adjusted downward” every month, strongly implying they are purposely inflated for gullible news outlets and readers.

    • Indeed. Now that the elections are coming around again we are
      going to get a lot of this nonsense to bolster the Democratic party.
      Real jobs have not been created, Only the service sector has seen
      an increase, and we all know what they make!!

          • No, liberalism is something completely different than what is refered to as liberalism currently. The faux liberalism of today is simply people being fooled by politicians.

        • So should we keep on rewarding Republicans for their lies as well or just Democrats? I’m honestly asking because you seem to think it’s a partisan problem and that we didn’t end up in this condition because of the lies of both sides of our deranged political system.

          • I’m referring, in particular, to the current administration. And it was the DNC that supported it twice. Vote better, people.

        • Conservatives are IN FACT every bit as screwed up as they THINK liberals are. That’s what confuses them.

        • Conservatives are IN FACT every bit as screwed up as they THINK liberals are.

    • Tell me, G. Fisher. When did this way of calculating become policy? THAT is the question everyone should be asking. And what was the majority in Congress when they approved it? Intelligent people are getting very tired of all the finger pointing that has gone on the past few decades. What does that do? Nothing.

      No one is willing to take a stand as a “united” America to change this Corrupt government (90% of Washington DC). People are either too lazy (waiting for someone else to fix it) or too complacent (as long as I am not affected) or they have the brains to realize that if people cooperated we could force the change (with a majority) that will provide a crystal clear government where it matters – Congress, which will trickle outward toward the states.

      When the people work together for a common cause (ie “change”) they have the power to elect an unknown junior senator to the White House. It’s a shame that ticked off so many of the corrupted ones who have wasted seven years attempting to toss a wrench into the change the people were asking for trying to make him fail when there could have been a whole lot of good done for our country IF ONLY everyone had worked together to and tossed out ideas, discussed what was going on in any given situations, LISTENED TO THE OTHER SIDE, and compromised (give and take) for the good of the majority, rather than only the Capitalists looking for quick money while hurting the majority with laws that actually started in the 1970’s.

      People would rather tear this country apart with finger pointing at one man (when Congress is the institution that writes and votes these things into law – unless they are impotent and forces a President into action by their own inaction.

      This is what we need before this country is damaged to the point that it can be taken over. If not, I hope those opposed are good at learning either Chinese, or Arabic.

      We need three changes. Each Representative/Senator should stand alone for what he/she says and votes for.

      AMERICAN BILL OF RIGHTS FOR A TRANSPARENT AMERICA

      1. Ban Corporate lobbying.
      Corporations and Conglomerations are NOT ‘citizens’.

      2. Change How Bills are Passed.
      Line Item voting for each change that will affect the American citizen so a voter
      can see where their heart really is. No more single vote on1800 pages of changes.

      3. Campaign Reform.
      Allowed: Candidates talk about what the nations needs are and the exact plan on
      on how they will achieve their goals. PERIOD. NO mudslinging, finger pointing,
      name calling, rehash negativity of the past, no personal attacks, etc.
      Failure to follow the rules is a 1 strike, 2 strikes (hefty fines) and number 3: you are
      OUT of the race.

      Three simple amendments to give America a truly transparent Congress. A more detailed idea of workability is on the site – and it’s always open for improvement as
      the number grow.

      Join the NON-PARTISAN, FREE Facebook group and recruit friends/neighbors.
      Type in #TransparencyUSA onto the Facebook search bar.

      Choose a workable solution, or remain part of the problem. It’s up to everyone to decide how much they want to be able to measure and assess what Congress is really doing.

    • They are the same numbers republicans would be pointing to if Romney was elected.

      The “labor force participation rate” is on the lower side but not as low as it was in the post WW2 era. That’s because people working regular type jobs got paid more back then. Store clerks, people assembling brooms in a factory, etc. They had simple jobs, but more pay. The wealth gap was also more narrow. Now the few people who own almost everything don’t want to pay their employees a living wage. And they are making record profits so they could easily pay their employees more.

      Obama wants to raise the minimum wage. Obama wants to tax the ultra wealthy and use it to put people to work building up our infrastructure, investing in new, cleaner technologies, etc. Obama wants to invest in education.

      Republicans want to continue to give the ultra wealthy tax breaks so the ultra wealthy can continue to create more service industry jobs.

      Trickle down by itself doesn’t work. The rich are becoming richer, and with few exceptions, aren’t creating any good jobs. At some point, our country will need to swing to the right, but it’s important to be able to understand that sometimes it needs to swing to the left. We have an intelligent person in the WH right now and I wish all you people would let him do his job instead of fighting him so much, and electing a bunch of morons that he has to deal with. It’s amazing he has gotten all the things done that he has.

      Anyway, the numbers don’t lie. You’re just angry the last guy you put in the WH was a complete moron who lead this country into the toilet bowl. And now theres a guy you hate in the WH who is doing a good job despite everything.

      • [quote]They are the same numbers republicans would be pointing to if Romney was elected.[/quote]

        That’s not true at all. If Romney had won we’d have seen the reversal of the policies that reversed the Bush downward spiral Obama saved us from. And the Republicans would be telling their supporters that it was Obama’s fault for the decline. And they’d be dumb enough to believe it.

  • these numbers are BS. Most people can barely afford to pay their bills let alone save any money. I myself once made six figures and now make a 5th of that. It saddens me that our elected officials are pushing for an Asian trade agreement to send jobs over to Asian countries while here at home they bring in illegals to work American jobs, then lie to us and tell us how it’s going to make our country so much better. We need a third party system because the Republicans and Democrats both suck!

    • Yeah, but we all complain when fast food workers want a living wage, too. If they’re not entitled to a living wage, neither are you or I. That’s life.

      • Well if we continue to import workers while exporting jobs even the fast food jobs won’t be around for American workers