Southeast

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 428,000 in April, while the 3.6 percent unemployment rate was unchanged from the prior month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Dow Jones economists had projected job gains of 400,000 in April and were expecting the unemployment rate to drop to 3.5 percent, according to CNBC. Once again, the employment sector with the largest gain was leisure and hospitality, which posted 78,000 new jobs last month. The 4.8 percent unemployment rate in the leisure and hospitality sector was the lowest rate since September 2019, though employment remains down by 8.5 percent from February 2020. The BLS reports that average hourly earnings for leisure and hospitality workers was up 11 percent year-over-year last month. Other employment sectors with notable net gains in April included manufacturing (55,000 jobs), transportation and warehousing (52,000) and professional and business services (41,000). Construction, information and government sectors showed little employment change over the past month. Total nonfarm payroll employment in February was revised downward from 750,000 to 714,000, according to the BLS, and the March figure was revised downward from 431,000 to 428,000. With these revisions, employment in February and March combined was 39,000 lower …