US labor market rebounding as 178,000 jobs added in March, well above expectations
Plant employees work on the top load laundry production line at GE Appliances on August 08, 2025, in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images for GE Appliances, a Haier company)
The U.S. labor market rebounded in March with employers adding 178,000 jobs, well above the 60,000 predicted by economists. The unemployment rate declined slightly to 4.3%.
Revised January report shows more jobs added, while the February revision shows job losses
The March report included revisions to the January and February figures. January's report was revised to show a gain of 34,000 jobs going from 126,000 to 160,000; while February was revised down by 41,000 jobs from a loss of 92,000 to 133,000.
Health care and construction employment up in March
The report shows employment in health care and construction rose. Health care added 76,000 jobs. Ambulatory health care services rose by 54,000, with employment in hospitals increasing by 15,000. Over the prior 12 months, health care employment has added an average of 29,000 jobs per month.
In March, 26,000 construction jobs were gained with little change in construction employment over the past 12 months.
Financial sector employment down
The financial sector continued to lose jobs. The report shows 15,000 jobs lost in March. Within the sector, finance and insurance lost 16,000 jobs. Employment in financial services is down by 77,000 jobs after reaching a peak in May 2025.
Transportation and warehousing sees jobs gains
The report shows transportation and warehousing added 21,000 jobs, reflecting a gain in couriers and messengers by 20,000 jobs. However, employment in transportation and warehousing is down by 139,000 since reaching a peak in February 2025.
Government employment declines
Government employment saw 8,000 job losses in March. The federal government cut 18,000 jobs, with states cutting 4,000 positions but were offset slightly with local governments adding 14,000 jobs.
The Source: Information in this article was sourced from the US Department of Labor, FOX Business, and The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.