Excluding Census, jobs increase 224,000; jobless rate rises to 9.9%

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-adds-290000-jobs-in-april-jobless-rate-99-2010-05-07?dist=countdown

By Jeffry Bartash, MarketWatch

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. added 290,000 jobs in April, the biggest increase since March 2006, with broad gains throughout the economy. Yet the unemployment rate rose.

However, nonfarm payrolls increased by a higher-than-expected 290,000. The employment numbers come a day after one of the most harrowing days ever in the markets, as the Dow on Thursday took a 998.5 point plunge in a five-minute selloff, apparently triggered by a breakdown in trading systems.

Excluding temporary Census workers, nonfarm jobs rose a seasonally adjusted 224,000, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate ticked up to 9.9% from 9.7% owing to a big increase in the labor force. Read the full report on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Web site.

Nearly all of the job growth, minus Census workers, took place in the private sector. Government employment was basically flat.

In addition, payroll data for the prior two months was revised to show that 121,000 additional jobs were created than initially reported.

The Labor Department said 230,000 jobs were created in March, instead of the original figure of 162,000, and February was revised from a loss of 14,000 to a gain of 39,000.

Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had predicted the economy would add 185,000 jobs for April. They also forecast no change in the jobless rate. See our complete economic calendar.

In the U.S, the stock market fell, but Treasury prices rose slightly. See market snapshot.
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