U.S. employers accelerated hiring in March, a surprising show of strength that analysts warned might be the high-water mark for the labor market as the Trump administration’s economic policies began to play out.
Employers added 228,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported on Friday, a figure that was far more than expected and was up from a revised total of 117,000 in February. The unemployment rate rose to 4.2 percent, from 4.1 percent.
The data, based on surveys of households and businesses conducted in the second week of March, do not reflect the sweeping tariff announcement that rattled markets this week, or the full extent of the job cuts resulting from President Trump’s efforts to reduce the federal work force.
The market reaction to the report was scant, as traders were preoccupied with the threat of a trade war. The S&P 500 was down nearly 5 percent at midday. The glum investor mood followed Thursday’s huge sell-off, the biggest since the height of the pandemic, over the rollout of Mr. Trump’s worldwide tariff campaign.
Still, Mr. Trump was quick to seize on the report as proof that his economic agenda was working. In a post on social media Friday morning, he wrote: “GREAT JOB NUMBERS, FAR BETTER THAN EXPECTED. IT’S ALREADY WORKING.”
Unemployment rate
2
4
6
8
10
12
14%
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
4.2%
Note: Data is seasonally adjusted.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
By Karl Russell
Change in jobs in March 2025, by sector
Education and health
+77,000 jobs
Leisure and hospitality
+43,000
Retail
+23,700
Government
+19,000
Construction
+13,000
Business services
+3,000
Manufacturing
+1,000
Note: Data is seasonally adjusted.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
By Karl Russell
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