May 09, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

April 2006 payroll employment

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 138,000 in April to 135.1 million, seasonally adjusted.

[Chart data—TXT]

Notable employment gains occurred in financial activities, health care, and manufacturing. Retail trade lost jobs over the month.

Within the service-providing sector, financial activities employment rose by 26,000 in April, as insurance (10,000) and credit intermediation (9,000) gained jobs. Over the year, financial activities employment increased by 213,000.

Health care added 23,000 jobs in April. Over the month, employment expanded in nursing and residential care facilities (9,000), hospitals (7,000) and offices of physicians (6,000).

In the goods-producing sector, manufacturing added 19,000 jobs over the month; factory employment has risen by 50,000 since October.

Retail trade employment declined by 36,000 in April.

These data on employment are from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program and have been seasonally adjusted. More information can be found in The Employment Situation: April 2006 (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-777. Data for the most recent two months are preliminary.