|
7 minutes ago
|
By LEIGH STROPE, AP Labor Writer
WASHINGTON - The nation's unemployment rate bumped up to 5.7 percent in March while companies added 308,000 new jobs — the most in four years, providing long-awaited evidence that the weak jobs market may be gaining steam.
|
|||||||||||
The Labor Department (news - web sites) report released Friday showed widespread hiring in industries across the economy at a time when President Bush (news - web sites)'s re-election campaign, counting heavily on a pickup in hiring, jumped into high gear.
For the first time in 44 months, the nation's factories did not shed jobs. But they weren't hiring either. March's figures show zero gains and losses for industries hammered by the economic downturn that began three years ago. The only sector losing jobs last month was information services, where companies cut about 1,000 jobs.
Revisions to payrolls showed a stronger jobs market than previously thought. Companies added 205,000 jobs in January and February, instead of the 118,000 reported last month.
The civilian unemployment rate, however, ticked up 0.1 percentage point from 5.6 percent in February. That occurred because more job seekers renewed their searches last month, but were unsuccessful.