Payrolls Rise 274,000; Unemployment Rate Holds at 5.2%

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mployers added 274,000 workers to payrolls in April and the unemployment rate remained at 5.2%, the Labor Department said Friday.

The jobs gain was well above analysts’ estimates of 174,000, Bloomberg reported. Bloomberg reported. It followed a revised 146,000 March gain, more than previously reported, Labor said.

Economists had predicted the unemployment rate to hold at 5.2%, Bloomberg said.

Because employment levels drive so much economic activity, an increase in employment can help consumer confidence and spending patterns, which affect trucking demand.

Manufacturing employment fell by 6,000, the seventh drop in eight months. Construction employment continued to grow, with jobs rising by 47,000 April. That followed a 29,000 rise in March.

Service-industry employment, which includes retailers, banks and government agencies, rose 229,000 in April after a gain of 117,000 in March, the department reported.