Drumroll please…

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US unemployment rate for March ticked down to 8.2% with a net gain of 120,000 jobs. Leading the charge with the most prominent growth were manufacturing (+37,000) and leisure and hospitality (+37,000). Healthcare also continued it’s upward march, adding 26,000 jobs. Retail jobs declined by 34,000, mostly due to job layoffs by major retailers.

As has been discussed in an earlier blog post, growth in the manufacturing sector is a targeted initiative of the Obama Administration. This month’s report was by no means a “total knockout” but it show that we continue to move in the right direction.