May 07, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Unemployment up in April

Employment declined in April, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.5 percent.

Unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted, May 1998-April 2001
[Chart data—TXT]

The number of unemployed persons rose by more than 300,000 in April to 6.4 million and has increased by about 870,000 since October. The unemployment rate increased from 4.3 to 4.5 percent in April and has risen by 0.6 percentage point since October.

Payroll employment fell by 223,000, following a decline of 53,000 (as revised) in March. In April, large job losses continued in manufacturing and in help supply services, and construction employment declined after seasonal adjustment.

These data are products of the Current Population Survey and the Current Employment Statistics program. Read more in "The Employment Situation: April 2001," news release USDL 01-122.