U.S. nonfarm payroll employment increased by 115,000 in April, after the March figure was revised up from 178,000 to 185,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) April 2026 Employment Situation report.
The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.3%. Year over year, the rate is up 0.1 percentage points.
Durable goods manufacturing gained 2,000 jobs, and nondurable goods manufacturing lost 4,000 jobs. Transportation and warehousing gained a notable 30,300 jobs.
"I continue to be bullish on the future of American factory jobs with so much investment and construction underway in the sector, but the shocks caused by the conflict with Iran and efforts to accommodate China present significant headwinds,” says Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing. “Accommodating China with a tariff truce or allowing investment in key U.S. industries such as autos would set back efforts to reshore factory jobs and reinvigorate our manufacturing base.”
By manufacturing sector, chemical manufacturing (2,400) and fabricated metal product manufacturing (1,900) posted the largest job gains, while transportation equipment manufacturing (-3,600) and beverage, tobacco and leather and allied product manufacturing (-2,500) reported the largest job losses, according to BLS industry sector data.
