Statement by U.S. Secretary of Labor Acosta on the April Jobs Report

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta issued the following statement regarding the April 2018 Employment Situation report:

“This is a great time to be a job seeker in America. Last month, the unemployment rate fell to 3.9%, the lowest level in nearly 18 years. The unemployment rate for adult women was 3.5%, the lowest level since December 2000. Both the African-American unemployment rate and the Hispanic unemployment rate are at the lowest level ever recorded. In April, 164,000 jobs were added, including gains in goods-producing industries, such as manufacturing, mining and logging, and construction.

“America’s job creators are confident. Since President Trump’s election, nearly 3.2 million American jobs have been created. That includes nearly 800,000 jobs added since the President signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law.

“In April, the rise in average weekly earnings amounts to an annual increase of approximately $1,300 – a real boost for American families. These increases do not include the millions of bonuses received by American workers since the President’s tax cuts.  Although there was an increase in wages, we would like to see more wage growth.

“Although there is room for improvement in overall labor force participation, we are encouraged to see labor force participation among those between 25 and 54 years of age rebounding, having increased from 81.3% to 82.0% since the President’s election.  This means 900,000 prime-age Americans joined the workforce since November 2016.”