US economy adds 196,000 jobs in March

The US economy added 196,000 jobs in March, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.8 per cent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has said.

In the first quarter of 2019, employment growth in the United States averaged 180,000 per month after upward revisions for the reading of January and February job gains.

In 2018, employment growth in the US averaged 223,000 per month, reports Xinhua.

Health care, professional and technical services both saw notable job gains, adding 49,000 and 34,000 jobs respectively in March, the bureau said on Friday.

For all employees on private nonfarm payrolls, the average workweek rose by 0.1 hour to 34.5 hours in March, as their average hourly earnings rose by 4 cents to 27.7 US dollars.

Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls have increased by 3.2 per cen