US economy adds 177,000 jobs in April, above forecasts

By Mucahithan Avcioglu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US economy added 177,000 jobs in April, much more than market estimates, the Labor Department said on Friday.

The market expectation for nonfarm payrolls last month was set to show a gain of 138,000.

Job additions for March, on the other hand, were revised downwards by 43,000, from 228,000 to 185,000.

The unemployment rate, meanwhile, was unchanged at 4.2%, matching estimates.

The number of unemployed people stood at 7.2 million in April, while the labor force participation rate was at 62.6%.

Meanwhile, the employment-to-population ratio was 60% in April, according to the Labor Department.

The number of people not in the labor force but currently wanting a job in April was little changed at 5.7 million.

"These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the 4 weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job," it said.

The average hourly earnings for all employees on non-farm payrolls rose 0.2% to $36.06 in April compared to March, an annual increase of 3.8%.