FOR DELIVERY: 9:30 A.M., E.D.T.
                         FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2004

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
                              
                     Kathleen P. Utgoff
                        Commissioner
                 Bureau of Labor Statistics
                              
                         before the
                              
                  Joint Economic Committee
                              
                   UNITED STATES CONGRESS
                              
                     Friday, May 7, 2004
                              


Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:

     I appreciate this opportunity to comment on the labor
market data that we released this morning.
     
     Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 288,000 in April, on
the heels of an even larger job gain in March (337,000).
Since August 2003, payroll employment has risen by 1.1
million.  In April, job growth was widespread for the second
consecutive month.  Employment increased substantially in
several service-providing industries, construction employment 
continued to expand, and there was a noteworthy job gain in 
durable goods manufacturing.  The unemployment rate, at 5.6 
percent in April, was little changed over the month.
     
     Among the goods-producing industries, construction
employment continued to trend upward in April (18,000).
Since March 2003, the industry has added 213,000 jobs,
bringing construction employment slightly above its most
recent peak in March 2001.
     
     Following a protracted period of job decline, factory
employment edged up over the past 3 months.  I would note
that data for both February and March were revised slightly
upward into positive territory.  The recent improvement in
manufacturing employment has occurred largely in the durable
goods component.  In April, durable goods employment rose by
20,000, with notable job gains in both fabricated metals
(10,000) and machinery (4,000).
     
     A number of service-providing industries added jobs
over the month.  Employment in professional and business
services increased by 123,000 and has risen by about a half
million since March 2003.  Roughly half of the over-the-
month gain in this diverse sector occurred in employment
services, where the temporary help industry added 35,000
jobs.  Employment in temporary help has grown by 261,000
over the past year.  In April, employment increased by 7,000
in architectural and engineering services and by 8,000 in
management consulting.  In addition, employment in businesses
that supply services to buildings and dwellings rose sharply
(30,000), with most of the gain occurring in landscaping
services.
     
     Within education and health services, employment
increased by 30,000 in health care and social assistance.
Job gains occurred in hospitals and in outpatient care
centers.  In leisure and hospitality, the food services
industry continued to add jobs in April (34,000).  So far
this year, employment increases in food services have
averaged 28,000 a month, twice the average monthly increase
for 2003.
     
     Elsewhere in the service-providing industries,
employment in retail trade edged up over the month,
following a sizable increase in March.  In April, building
material and garden supply stores added 10,000 jobs, and
employment in motor vehicle and parts dealerships rose by
6,000.  Wholesale trade employment was little changed in
April, but the industry has added 49,000 jobs since October.
Within the financial sector, employment in credit intermedi-
ation and in real estate continued to edge up, reflecting 
strength in the housing market.
     
     In April, average hourly earnings for production or
nonsupervisory workers rose by 5 cents to $15.59.  Over the
year, average hourly earnings grew by 2.2 percent.
     
     Looking at some of our measures obtained from the
survey of households, the April unemployment rate was 5.6
percent.  The jobless rate has shown essentially no movement
since last December.
     
     In April, the labor force participation rate was 65.9
percent for the third consecutive month.  Nearly 8.2 million
persons were unemployed in April.  The number of persons who
had been jobless for 27 weeks or longer declined by 188,000,
to 1.8 million.
     
     In summary, nonfarm payroll employment increased by
288,000 in April and is up by 1.1 million since last August.
The unemployment rate was little changed over the month, at
5.6 percent.
     
     
     My colleagues and I now would be glad to address your
questions.