Construction Jobs Fueled April Employment Gains

Construction and manufacturing - two bedrock sectors of the American economy - landed on opposite ends of April's jobs report.

Mon May 11, 2015 - National Edition
Construction Equipment Guide

WASHINGTON (AP) - Construction and manufacturing - two bedrock sectors of the American economy - landed on opposite ends of April’s jobs report.

Construction companies added 45,000 jobs during the month, bringing their year-to-date total to 108,000. Most of April’s gains came from the ”specialty trade contractors’ subsector, which includes carpenters, electricians, plumbers and painters.

By contrast, manufacturing job growth remained basically flat, reflecting the beating the industry is taking from the rise in the value of the dollar. A strong dollar makes U.S. exports less competitive in overseas markets because they become more expensive. It also makes imports cheaper for U.S. consumers.

Manufacturers added just 1,000 jobs in March and April combined.

Overall, U.S. employers added 223,000 jobs in April. The unemployment rate fell to 5.4 percent, the lowest level since May 2008.

Industry	April 2015	March 2015	Year to date	Past 12 months
Construction	45,000	9,000	108,000	280,000
Manufacturing	1,000	0	21,000	180,000
Retail	12,100	24,000	95,000	284,000
Transportation, Warehousing	15,200	8,100	19,600	164,200
Information (Telecom, publishing)	3,000	0	16,000	55,000
Financial services	9,000	7,000	44,000	151,000
Professional services (Accounting, engineering, temp work)	62,000	35,000	166,000	654,000
Education and health	61,000	35,000	199,000	564,000
Hotels, restaurants, entertainment	17,000	6,000	96,000	434,000
Government	10,000	9000	5000	64,000

Source: Labor Department

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