US job growth remained solid in April 2025, indicating healthy labor demand, despite concerns that tariffs could temper hiring decisions [2]. The US economy added 177,000 jobs in April 2025, surpassing market expectations of 130,000 [2]. This figure aligns with the average monthly gain of 152,000 over the past 12 months [2].
The stronger-than-expected payroll advance was partly due to increased hiring in transportation and warehousing, sectors needing workers to handle a surge of imported goods [2]. Job growth was primarily seen in sectors such as health care (+51,000), transportation and warehousing (+29,000), financial activities (+14,000), and social assistance (+8,000), while federal government employment experienced a decline (-9,000) [2].
Net exports in the first quarter subtracted a record amount from gross domestic product [1]. Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased -0.3% [1]. The negative GDP reading “primarily reflected” an increase in imports, which surged as businesses aimed to front run tariffs, and a decrease in government spending [1].
This article is based on our author's analysis of materials taken from the following resources: Reuters, Trading Economics, Forbes.