The U.S. economy gained 175,000 jobs in April, and the unemployment rate was up slightly to 3.9%, according to figures released Friday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
April's biggest job gains were in health care (+56,000), social assistance (+31,000), transportation and warehousing (+22,000), retail trade (+20,000), construction (+9,000), and government (+8,000). Employment was little changed over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; information; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services.
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult men (3.6%) increased in April. The rate for Black Americans (5.6%) decreased. The jobless rates for teenagers (11.7%), Hispanics (4.8%), adult women (3.5%), white Americans (3.5%) and Asian Americans (2.8%) showed little change over the month.
The number of long-term unemployed workers (those jobless for 27 weeks or longer) was little changed in April and accounted for 19.6% of the total number of people unemployed.