May 5, 2006 10:45 AM, EDT

Payrolls Rise Less Than Forecast; Unemployment Holds at 4.7%

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.S. payrolls rose by 138,000 in April and the unemployment rate held at 4.7%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

The jobs gain followed a revised 200,000 rise in March, which had originally been reported at 211,000.

The April level was well below analysts’ forecasts 200,000 new jobs, Bloomberg reported.

verage wages were 3.8% over last April, the biggest year-over-year gain since August 2001.

Manufacturing employment rose by 19,000 jobs. Construction employment gained 10,000 following a 6,000 gain in March.

ervice-industry employment, which includes retailers, banks and government agencies, rose by 101,000 in April following a 185,000 increase.

The unemployment-rate gauge is based on a survey of households. The number of payroll jobs added is determined by a separate survey of business and government establishments.

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