Advance copies of this statement are made available to the press 

under lock-up conditions with the explicit understanding that 

the data are embargoed until 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. 

Statement of 

John M. Galvin 

Acting Commissioner 

Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Friday, April 6, 2012

Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 120,000 in March, and 

the unemployment rate, at 8.2 percent, changed little. Over the 

prior 3 months, nonfarm job growth had averaged 246,000 per 

month. Since a recent low point in February 2010, payroll 

employment has risen by 3.6 million. Over the month, employment 

rose in manufacturing, food services and drinking places, and 

health care, while retail trade employment declined. 

Manufacturing employment grew by 37,000 in March and has 

increased by 470,000 since a recent low point in January 2010. 

Essentially all of the net gain over this period occurred in 

durable goods. In March, employment increased in motor vehicles 

and parts, machinery, fabricated metals, and paper 

manufacturing. 
2 

Food services and drinking places added 37,000 jobs over 

the month. Since a recent low point in February 2010, 

employment in this industry has grown by 563,000. 

Health care employment continued to expand in March, rising 

by 26,000. Offices of physicians and hospitals each added 8,000 

jobs. 

Employment in professional and business services continued 

to trend up over the month (+31,000). Within professional and 

business services, services to buildings and dwellings added 

23,000 jobs. Employment in temporary help services was about 

unchanged in March after increasing by 55,000 in February. 

Within financial activities in March, employment increased in 

credit intermediation (+11,000), which includes commercial 

banking. 

Retail trade employment declined by 34,000 in March. A job 

loss in general merchandise stores more than offset gains in 

building material and garden supply stores and in health and 

personal care stores. 

Employment in other major industries changed little in 

March. Government employment has been essentially unchanged 

thus far in 2012. Government had lost 265,000 jobs in 2011. 

Average hourly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm 

payrolls increased by 5 cents in March to $23.39. Over the past 

12 months, average hourly earnings have risen by 2.1 percent. 
3 

From February 2011 to February 2012, the Consumer Price Index 

for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased by 2.9 percent. 

Turning now to data from the survey of households, the 

unemployment rate, at 8.2 percent, changed little in March. 

Jobless rates for the major worker groups showed little or no 

change. At 12.7 million, the number of unemployed persons was 

also little changed from the prior month. Among the unemployed, 

5.3 million had been jobless for 27 weeks and over. 

Both the employment-population ratio, at 58.5 percent, and 

the labor force participation rate, at 63.8 percent, were about 

unchanged in March. Among the employed, 7.7 million people 

worked part time although they would have preferred full-time 

employment, down from 8.1 million in February. 

In summary, nonfarm payroll employment rose by 120,000 in 

March. The unemployment rate was little changed at 8.2 percent.