According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), on May 2, 2025, the non-farm sector added 177,000 jobs in April, exceeding the market expectation of 130,000. However, the job numbers for February and March 2025 were revised down to 102,000 and 185,000, respectively, a total downward adjustment of 58,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate in April remained steady at 4.2%, which matched market expectations, being the highest level since November 2021. The broad unemployment rate (U6) fell from 7.9% in March to 7.8% in April, marking the lowest level since January.

The employment-population ratio, a labor market indicator, was seasonally adjusted to 60.0% in April, below the 60.2% recorded a year earlier. The labor force participation rate increased slightly from 62.5% in March to 62.6% in April, although it is still below the 62.7% of the previous year.

In terms of wages, the average weekly hours for all private-sector employees held steady at 34.3 hours, slightly above the market expectation of 34.2 hours. In contrast, the monthly growth rate of the average hourly wage fell from 0.3% in March to 0.2%, with an annual growth rate of 3.8%, the lowest since July 2024, falling short of the expected 3.9%.

Additionally, the average weekly hours for manufacturing decreased from 40.2 hours in March to 40.0 hours in April, the lowest level since January, while manufacturing employment fell by 1,000 to 12.765 million, slightly above 12.75 million in October 2024. The share of manufacturing in total non-farm employment dropped from 0.08059 in March to 0.08012, the lowest since records began in 1939.

Furthermore, employment in federal government agencies decreased by 9,000 to 298.9 million in April, the lowest level since February 2024, with a total reduction of 26,000 jobs over the past three months.