Economy added 228,000 jobs in March: The key facts and figures

The economy added 228,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

Investors had expected roughly 137,000 new jobs and for the unemployment rate to hold steady at 4.1%.

Although the pace of jobs growth picked up in March, investors were betting Friday morning that Federal Reserve officials will move faster to cut interest rates, likely because of the market turmoil from the rollout of the Trump tariffs. 

Bond markets indicated that the central bank is now more likely to cut its interest rate target in June and implement further cuts in the months ahead.

After a long period of very high interest rates designed to quash inflation, the Fed finally began cutting short-term rates in September.

Friday’s report suggests that the

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