US employers hired a record number of people in April

WASHINGTON (AP) – US employers hired the largest number of people registered in April, while the number of job vacancies was largely unchanged, indicating that the job market remains solid.

The Labor Ministry said Monday that companies had created 5.9 million jobs this month, up 4.2% from March and the largest number since records began in December 2000.

Part of the hiring increase simply reflects population growth. In terms of percentage of the workforce, new hires reached 3.9%, a solid reading but below the record of 4.3% reached in January 2001.

The report shows that employers have enough confidence in the economy to add staff. There were still warning signs: the number of vacancies rose from a record 7.6 million in November to 7.4 million in April. This suggests that the demand for labor is easing somewhat.

Growth also seems to be slowing down, with most economists predicting that the economy will grow from April to June at a rate half as fast as during the first three months of the year. Increased trade tensions with China, slower growth in Europe and Asia, as well as reduced stimulus resulting from increased tax cuts and public spending last year weigh on the economy.

On Friday, the government said employers had only created 75,000 jobs in May and 224,000 in April. These monthly figures represent a net total, while the 5.9 million represents the total of the recruitments made in April.

"Today's numbers confirm that the job market has lost momentum," said Nick Bunker, economist on the job offers website, Indeed. "The slowdowns are occurring.This is not because this year will be as strong as last year as the recession looms.

There are always more jobs available than there are unemployed workers, a rare development and a striking illustration of the fall in unemployment.

Monday's report, known as the Job Openings and Turnover Survey (JOLTS), also measures layoffs, which rose in April to 1.75 million, but remained unchanged. a low level. The increase in layoffs would be a sign that the economy was deteriorating.

Hiring in April was particularly favorable in the construction, professional and business services sectors (notably computer scientists, accountants and engineers) and finance.