“There are definitely more victories happening,” said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt after a job report that exceeded expectations on Friday.
Leavitt highlighted the Department of Labor report, which showed that 177,000 jobs were added last month.
“This marks the second month in a row that the employment report has outperformed expectations,” Leavitt stated. “Wages are on the rise and more people are participating in the labor market, which is exactly what we want: more Americans earning higher wages.”
Economists had anticipated an increase of 130,000 jobs in April. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, the same as in March. John Carey, the Economics Editor at Breitbart News, noted that much of the job growth in April was driven by the private sector.
The strength in employment is largely attributed to the private sector, which added 167,000 jobs. Economists were initially expecting private employers to add around 125,000 positions, and the 170,000 jobs created in March remained unchanged.
The labor market saw an influx of workers in April, with the participation rate rising to 62.6% from 62.5% the previous month. The total number of employed individuals went up from 436,000 to 163,944,000.
The average workweek lengthened from 34.2 hours to 34.3 hours, signaling increased demand from employers. Average hourly earnings rose by 0.3%, and compared to a year earlier, average pay has risen by 3.8%, significantly outpacing the 2.4% increase in the consumer price index as of March.
The White House reported that private education and health services added 70,000 jobs, while transportation and warehousing saw an addition of 29,000. The leisure and hospitality sector gained 24,000 positions, and financial activities added 14,000. Additionally, hourly wages have increased by 4% since May 2024.
