Staff Writer

On Friday, May 5, the Bureau of Labor Statistics published a report which included preliminary national unemployment numbers for April. According to the report, the national unemployment rate dropped from 3.5 percent in March to 3.4 percent in April, tying the record low set in January of this year.

As the unemployment rate dropped, the nation’s total nonfarm payroll employment increased by  253,000 jobs. The largest gains were seen in the professional and business services (+43,000), health care (+40,000), leisure and hospitality (+31,000), social assistance (+25,000), financial (+23,000), and government (+23,000). 

The full Bureau of Labor Statistics report can be found here.