Reuters
But also true is that the increase in the unemployment rate to 4% snapped a run of more than two full years below that benchmark. The employment gain last month was almost exactly in line with the 12-month trailing average of nearly 276,000 jobs and exceeded the average of 188,000 over the 10 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic by 84,000. For the 72 manufacturing industries tracked by the BLS diffusion index, hiring was the broadest since October 2022, signaling perhaps a turnaround for a sector where employment growth has lagged for roughly a year and a half.