March’s data suggests it isn’t, as does the 38,000 downward revision in estimated job creation in February and March. Although the two tend to converge over time, they can vary widely from month to month, and March was one of those times. That explains why the unemployment rate could fall by 0.2 percentage point, even as the headline number for job creation fell way short of expectations. After weakness last fall, factories have been gaining steam, with manufacturers adding another 11,000 jobs in March. Advertisement Continue reading the main storyAs some experts feared, the deep retrenchment in the retail sector as consumers shift from brick-and-mortar shopping to online purchases clearly registered in March’s report.

Source: New York Times April 07, 2017 09:01 UTC