Private Sector Job Creation Strong in April

Washington, DC, May 6, 2011 -- The U.S. private sector created 244,000 jobs in April according to the Labor Department's survey of employers.

It was the most jobs generated since February 2006, although the unemployment rate jumped back up to 9% from the previous month's 8.8%.

Economists were expecting a gain of 186,000, but they were expecting the unemployment rate to remain flat.

However, the separate household survey, from which the unemployment rate is derived, painted an entirely different picture. It showed the number of employed Americans falling by 190,000 on net following a 291,000 rise in March. The number of jobless in that report, meanwhile, rose by 205,000.

"The number of unemployed persons, at 13.7 million, changed little in April," the Bureau of Labor Statistics said in a press release.

 Construction employment remained weak, with the sector adding just 5,000 jobs. ing just 5,000 jobs.