Payrolls Up 180,000, Unemployment Drops to 4.4%

Washington, DC, April 6, 2007—Payrolls in March increased by 180,000 in March as the unemployment rate dipped to 4.4% from 4.5% in February, according to the Labor Department.

Economists had forecast an increase in payrolls to 130,000 and the unemployment rate to remain at 4.5%.

Payrolls in January and February were also revised higher by a total of 32,000. February's payrolls, which had originally been reported as an increase of 97,000, rose by 113,000 in the latest revision. Payrolls increased by 162,000 in January, up from 146,000 estimated last month.

Average hourly earnings increased by 6 cents, or 0.3%, to $17.22. Average earnings have risen 4.0% over the past year.

The construction sector added 56,000 jobs in March after losing 61,000 in the previous month. The factory sector lost 16,000 jobs in March after falling 11,000 in February. Service sector employment rose 137,000 in March. Education and health care added 54,000 jobs after gaining 34,000 in February. Professional and business services lost 7,000 jobs, and leisure and hospitality added 21,000 jobs. Retail added 36,000 jobs in March.