Unemployment Rate Declines to 4.5 Percent in March 2017; Payroll Employment Edges Up by Only 98,000

Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—April 7, 2017.  The unemployment rate declined to 4.5 percent in March, and total nonfarm payroll employment edged up by 98,000, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in professional and business services and in mining, while retail trade lost jobs.

Household Survey Data

The unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage point to 4.5 percent in March, and the number of unemployed persons declined by 326,000 to 7.2 million. Both measures…