Labor Department: US adds 120K jobs in March

Employment improved by 120,000 jobs in March

New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which stated that, led by the manufacturing and healthcare industries, the U.S. labor market showed what I would consider a moderately impressive net gain of 120,000 jobs in March.

Federal data pinned the nation's unemployment rate at 8.2 percent – not much change from February – and reported that the 120,000 gain was largely brought about by improvements in a number of key industries. The data also showed that while the retail industry lost nearly 39,000 jobs in March from the previous month, this was offset by a 37,000 gain in the manufacturing industry as well as an additional 26,100 improvement in healthcare. The hospitality industry also added 39,000 jobs.

According to Alan B. Krueger, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, "there is more work to be done, but today’s employment report provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to recover from the worst downturn since the Great Depression. It is critical that we continue to make smart investments that strengthen our economy and lay a foundation for long-term middle class job growth."

Because I run a staffing firm that specializes in placing IT professionals, I was pleased to read that information technology also continued to experience job gains, showing that opportunities are available for qualified talent seeking IT architecture jobs or IT management consulting positions. Management and technical consulting service corporations added 5,300 new jobs last month, while computer systems design and related services added 3,900.

If you’re seeking a technical job and open to temporary placement, IT staffing companies and recruitment firms are an invaluable resource in the current economic environment. I recently read in the Chicago Tribune, that the demand for temporary workers is expected to trend higher as companies seek flexibility in this uneven recovery.