US added 228,000 jobs in March as economy showed strength

US employers added a surprising 228,000 jobs last month, showing that the American labor market was in a solid shape as President Donald Trump embarked on a risky trade war with the rest of the world.

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The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1%.

The hiring numbers were up from 117,000 in February and were nearly double the 130,000 that economists had expected. Labor Department revisions showed 54,000 less off January and February payrolls.

Workers' average hourly earnings rose 0.31 from February, about what economists had expected. Compared to a year ago, hourly pay was up 3.81, a bit lower than the 4.1 that had been forecast and nearing the 3.51 year-over-year gains that are seen as consistent with the Federal Reserve's 2 percent inflation target.

Healthcare companies added over 54,000 jobs and restaurants and bars nearly 30,000 as the job market bounced back from bitter winter weather in January and February. The federal government lost 9,000, assuring that Elon Musk's AI age of the federal workforce may only be starting to show up in the data.

The unemployment rate rose modestly but for what economists consider a good reason: 232,000 people entered the labor force - which means they were either working or looking for work - though not all of them found jobs right away.

Trump was quick to claim victory, posting on his social platform that the hiring numbers proved his policies were "already working." He also said: "My policies will never change."