Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2011-05-06

Advance copies of this statement are made available to the press under lock-up conditions with the explicit understanding that the data are embargoed until 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the employment and unemployment data we released this morning. Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 244,000 in April, and the unemployment rate edged up to 9.0 percent. Over the last 3 months, payroll employment has risen by an average of 233,000 compared with an average of 104,000 in the prior 3 months. In April, employment increased in several service-providing industries, manufacturing, and mining. Retail trade added 57,000 jobs in April. This increase followed 2 months in which retail employment changed little. Over the month, job gains occurred in electronics and appliance stores, building and garden supply stores, and automobile dealerships. An employment increase in general merchandise stores (+27,000) offset a decline of similar size in March.