March 2015—Slow Job Growth, Unemployment Rate Unchanged

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports employment increased by 126,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.5 percent. Employment continued to trend up in professional and business services, health care, and retail trade, while mining lost jobs.

Job growth lost momentum in March, after a year in which job gains exceeded 200,000 each month, The New York Times reports. Analysts blame the slow job growth on plunging oil prices and a harsh winter. The employment increased by 295,000 just one month earlier in February. View full report here.