May 10, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Job growth in April 2005

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 274,000 between March and April 2005, seasonally adjusted. This followed gains of 300,000 in February and 146,000 in March.

Change in nonfarm payroll employment, seasonally adjusted, January-April 2005
[Chart data—TXT]

In April, notable increases occurred in several industries, including construction, mining, food services, and health care.

Construction employment rose by 47,000 in April, with specialty trade contractors accounting for the bulk of the growth. Employment in mining increased by 8,000.

The leisure and hospitality sector gained 58,000 jobs in April, including 35,000 in food services and drinking places. Health care employment continued to increase in April, rising by 25,000; job growth was concentrated in offices of physicians and hospitals.

These employment data come from the BLS Current Employment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. To learn more, see " The Employment Situation: April 2005" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-788. Data for the most recent two months are preliminary. 

 

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