Job Growth Continues, Unemployment Falls

Washington, DC, April 1, 2011 -- The U.S. economy added 216,000 jobs in March, the Labor Department reported Friday, and the unemployment rate edged down to 8.8%.

The gain in jobs slightly exceeded economists’ expectations.

Nonfarm payrolls rose by 216,000 last month as the private sector added 230,000 jobs. The February number was revised to show an increase of 194,000 jobs from a previously estimated gain of 192,000.

Total government employment fell by 14,000 as local governments, struggling with budget shortfalls, trimmed payrolls.

The report also showed that 45.5% of the unemployed, or 6.1 million people, had been out of work for more than six months in March, up from 43.9% in February.