The U.S. economy had a net gain of 164,000 in April. Unemployment — which has stood at 4.1 percent since October 2017 — dipped to 3.9 percent, according to Friday’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Economic analysts had predicted a gain of more than 190,000 jobs during the month. They had also expected to see the unemployment level drop slightly.
The numbers are a rebound from the previous month: The initial report had said only 103,000 jobs were added in March.
“Wages showed a moderate 2.7 percent annual increase in March,” NPR’s John Ydstie reports. “Analysts have been expecting wages to rise more rapidly, as the number of available workers shrinks.”