The U.S. added 177,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in April, beating economists’ expectations, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released Friday.
The better-than-expected job growth in April comes after the U.S. added 185,000 jobs in March, according to the BLS. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained unchanged in April, at 4.2%.
“The [BLS] data shows the economy is near the sweet spot for growth,” Parker Sheppard, an economist at the Heritage Foundation, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The trend of steady [job] growth is likely to continue. The breakeven employment growth is around 150,000 jobs per month, and that’s close to the average over the past year.”
“The risks of a higher or lower job growth will be influenced heavily by the outcome of trade negotiations concerning the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs,” Sheppard added.
Moreover, the U.S. federal government workforce decreased slightly in April, declining by 9,000 jobs, according to the BLS.
“Employment in the federal government fell, but it was relatively modest,” Sheppard told the DCNF. “Employment fell 9,000 in April. The level is 38,000 below the end of 2024, but still 97,000 above the end of 2022. If the Trump administration can streamline the federal workforce to provide the right services at a lower cost, that’s a net benefit for taxpayers.”
President Donald Trump — along with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — has prioritized reducing the federal workforce and eliminating waste across the federal government during his second term.
“DOGE cuts were a factor in declining federal government jobs,” American Institute For Economic Research (AIER) Senior Fellow Thomas Savidge told the DCNF. “However, many federal employees are still on paid leave or receiving severance, which means they are not counted in the unemployment. We likely won’t see the full impact of DOGE on federal employment until later this year.”
“Today’s jobs report shows that the President’s policies are WORKING for Americans,” Republican Michigan Rep. Lisa McClain, Chair of the House Republican Conference, wrote Friday in a post on X.
While on the campaign trail, Trump pledged to “make America affordable again,” as the economy was one of the top concerns among voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The president said during an address to a joint session of Congress on March 4 that it was one of his “very highest priorities” to “rescue our economy and get dramatic and immediate relief to working families.”
“As you know, we inherited from the last administration an economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare,” Trump said at the time. “Their policies drove up energy prices, pushed up grocery costs, and drove the necessities of life out of reach for millions and millions of Americans. They’ve never had anything like it.”
Still, some recent surveys have shown Americans souring on Trump’s approach to the economy. A Reuters/Ipsos pollreleased on Wednesday found that just 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, compared to 56% of respondents who said they disapproved.
“This is the second month in a row where the jobs report has beat expectations,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Friday. “Wages are continuing to rise and labor force participation is increasing. This is exactly what we want to see. More Americans working for higher wages. More winning is on the way!”
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