Job seeker Alan Shull attends a job fair in Portland, Ore. The Labor Department said Friday that the economy added just 115,000 jobs in April. U.S. employers pulled back on hiring for the second straight month, evidence of an economy still growing only sluggishly. The unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent, but only because more people gave up looking for work.By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER and PAUL WISEMAN
WASHINGTON – U.S. job growth slumped in April for a second straight month. It suggested an economy that is growing steadily but still sluggishly, which could tighten the presidential race.
A drop in the unemployment rate wasn’t necessarily a healthy sign for the job market. The rate fell from 8.2 percent in March to 8.1 percent in April. But that was mainly because more people gave up looking for work.
People who aren’t looking for jobs aren’t counted as unemployed.
The 115,000 jobs added in April were fewer than the 154,000 jobs added in March, a number the government revised up from its earlier estimate of 120,000. It also marked a sharp decline from December through February, when the economy averaged 252,000 jobs per month.