American employers added a better-than-expected 177,000 jobs in April as the job market showed resilience in the face of President Donald Trump’s trade wars, the Associated Press reports.
Hiring was down slightly from a revised 185,000 in March and came in above economists’ expectations for a modest 135,000. The unemployment rate remained at a low 4.2%, the Labor Department reported Friday.
President Donald Trump’s aggressive and unpredictable policies — including massive import taxes — have clouded the outlook for the economy and the job market and raised fears that the American economy is headed toward recession.
Transportation and warehousing companies added 29,000 jobs last month, a sign that companies might have been stocking up on imports before being hit with new taxes.
Labor Department revisions shaved 58,000 jobs from February and March payrolls.
Average hourly earnings ticked up 0.2% from March and 3.8% from a year ago, nearing the 3.5% that economists view as consistent with the 2% inflation the Federal Reserve wants to see.
The report showed that 518,000 people entered the labor force, and the percentage of those working or looking for work ticked up slightly.
