Private Payrolls Add 406,000 Jobs in April

U.S. nonfarm payrolls added 428,000 jobs in April, extending a run of 12 consecutive months and 15 of the last 16 months with gains above 400,000. The average monthly gain over the last 16 months is 551,000 (see first chart).

Private payrolls posted a 406,000 gain in April, the 11th in a row and 14^th in the last 16 months above 400,000 (see first chart). The average gain over the last 16 months is 520,000.

Both total nonfarm payrolls and private payrolls are less than 1 percent below their February 2020 levels with total nonfarm down by 1.2 million and private payrolls down just half a million (see second chart).