Job growth zoomed in March as payrolls jumped by 303,000 and unemployment dropped to 3.8%

Job creation in March easily topped expectations in a sign of continued acceleration for what has been a bustling and resilient labor market.

Nonfarm payrolls increased 303,000 for the month, well above the Dow Jones estimate for a rise of 200,000 and higher than the downwardly revised 270,000 gain in February, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

The unemployment rate edged lower to 3.8%, as expected, even though the labor force participation rate moved higher to 62.7%, a gain of 0.2 percentage point from February. A broader measure that includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time positions for economic reasons held steady at 7.3%.

In the key average hourly earnings measure, wages rose 0.3% for the month and 4.1% from a year ago, both in line with Wall Street estimates.

Growth came from many of the usual sectors that have powered gains in recent months. Health care led with 72,000, followed by government (71,000), leisure and hospitality (49,000), and construction (39,000). Retail trade contributed 18,000 while the "other services" category added 16,000.

The February revision was just 5,000 lower while the January revision brought that total up by 27,000 to 256,000, still well below the initial estimate of 353,000.

"This is another really strong report," said Lauren Goodwin, economist and chief market strategist at New York Life Investments. "This report and the February report showed some broadening in terms of job creation, which is a very good sign."

Despite the move lower in the broader unemployment level, the rate for Black people surged to 6.4%, a gain of 0.8 percentage point, tying the highest level since August 2022. Rates for Asians and Hispanics both fell sharply to 2.5% and