The economy added 196,000 jobs in March….But?

• “The economy has been adding jobs faster … which is staggering considering how far along we are in post-recession recovery,” said Steve Rick, chief economist at CUNA Mutual Group.

Details:

• Job growth averaged 180,000 per month in the first quarter of 2019. That’s lower than the average 223,000 per month in the same time period last year, but still strong.
• The number of people jumping in or out of the labor force didn’t budge much. The labor force participation rate — or the share of the population working or looking for work — fell slightly to 63% from the 63.2% in February….

More…

The But….

Jobless claims have fallen three weeks in a row and are sharply lower compared to a recent high of 244,000 in late January.

The downward descent is also reflected in the more stable monthly average of claims, which fell by 4,000 to 213,000. That’s the lowest level since October.

The number of people already collecting unemployment benefits, known as continuing claims, slipped by 38,000 to 1.72 million. The last time the figure was that low was in mid-January.