March Jobs Report: U.S. Adds 228,000 Jobs

In March 2025, the U.S. labor market added 228,000 jobs, marking a stronger pace of job growth compared to February’s revised gain of 117,000.

The unemployment rate held relatively steady at 4.2%, with 7.1 million individuals unemployed, showing little change from the prior month.

Is the U.S. Job Market Growing?

The March report points to a labor market that is not only growing but picking up steam after a softer start to the year.

However, the continued decline in federal government employment and downward revisions to previous months’ totals suggest ongoing fluctuations that could impact growth stability in the months ahead.

The labor force participation rate remained at 62.5%, and the employment-population ratio held steady at 59.9%, signaling little movement in overall workforce engagement.

U.S. Unemployment Rates by Group

• Adult women: 3.7% (down from 3.8%)
• Adult men: 3.8% (unchanged)
• Teenagers: 13.7% (up from 12.9%)
• Whites: 3.7% (down from 3.8%)
• Blacks: 6.2% (up from 6.0%)
• Asians: 3.5% (up from 3.2%)
• Hispanics: 5.1% (down from 5.2%)

Key Employment Statistics for March 2025

• The number of long-term unemployed (jobless for 27 weeks or more) remained steady at 1.5 million, accounting for 21.3% of the total unemployed population.
• Average hourly earnings increased by 9 cents, bringing the average to $36.00, a 3.8% year-over-year increase.
• The average workweek remained at 34.2 hours, with slight increases observed among production and nonsupervisory employees, whose average rose to 33.8 hours.

Sectors with Notable Job Trends in March

Healthcare

Healthcare continued to drive job growth in March, adding 54,000 new positions, slightly above its 12-month average.

The bulk of these gains came from ambulatory health care services (+20,000), hospitals (+17,000), and nursing and residential care facilities (+17,000).

Social Assistance

The social assistance sector added 24,000 jobs in March, exceeding its 12-month average of 19,000.

Most of this growth came from individual and family services (+22,000), reflecting continued reliance on public and community-based services.

Retail Trade

Retail trade saw a net gain of 24,000 jobs, primarily due to the return of striking workers.

Food and beverage retailers added 21,000 positions, while general merchandise retailers lost 5,000.

Transportation and Warehousing

This sector added 23,000 jobs, nearly double its average monthly gain over the last year.

Couriers and messengers (+16,000) and truck transportation (+10,000) led the way, while warehousing and storage lost 9,000 jobs.

Government

Federal government employment declined by 4,000 jobs in March, following an 11,000-job loss in February.

The consistent decline over the past two months reflects ongoing workforce adjustments and possible cost-cutting measures at the federal level.

March Jobs Report Summary

March’s job report delivered 228,000 jobs, signaling a rebound in hiring momentum across the U.S. labor market.

However, downward revisions to January and February figures—now showing a combined 48,000 fewer jobs than initially reported—temper some of the month’s optimism.

Additionally, continued declines in federal government roles and flat labor force participation indicate areas still needing attention.

As Q2 begins, the labor market enters spring with renewed strength but remains subject to sector-specific pressures.