Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2015-05-08

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 Standard Time. Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 223,000 in April, after edging up in March (+85,000). The unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 5.4 percent in April. Employment rose over the month in professional and business services, health care, and construction. Job losses continued in mining. Incorporating the revisions for February and March, which reduced nonfarm employment by 39,000, on net, monthly job gains have averaged 191,000 over the past 3 months. In the 12 months prior to April, employment growth averaged 257,000 per month. Professional and business services employment rose by 62,000 in April. Over the prior 3 months, job gains averaged 35,000 per month. Services to buildings and dwellings added 16,000 jobs in April, after changing little in March.