The state and federal economies have shown little indication that federal layoffs, tariffs and uncertainty had a substantial toll on the job market as of mid-April.
American employers added 177,000 jobs last month, a slight drop from 185,000 in March, the U.S. Department of Labor reported last Friday.
The transportation and warehousing sectors reported an increase of 29,000 jobs – a potential sign that employers have been rushing to move goods ahead of President Trump’s broad tariffs. Employers also added temporary workers in April, which is notable because companies often cut temp jobs first when sales slow down.
Although layoffs are low, it has become harder to find a job for Americans who want or need one. Evidence of that was borne out in last Friday’s data: The number of people out of work for more than six months – the typical definition of long-term unemployment – increased by 179,000.
The labor report is showing signs of the Trump administration’s purge of public workers. Federal employment fell by 9,000 last month and is down 26,000 since January.
“The only reason the drop isn’t more dramatic is that employees who are still getting paid, which is the case with those who took the ‘deferred resignation’ offer, are still counted as employed,” wrote Lydia DePillis of The New York Times.
Nationally, the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2%. Oklahoma’s jobless rate held steady at 3.3% at the end of March – for the 13th consecutive month.
The unadjusted number of initial claims for unemployment benefits filed in Oklahoma the week of April 26 totaled 1,161, a decrease of 51 from the week of April 19, when initial claims numbered 1,212, which was 1,336 fewer than the week before. The Sooner State was one of the five states that logged the largest decline in first-time claims for unemployment benefits the week of April 19, the DOL announced.
For that same filing week, the less volatile four-week moving average of initial claims was 1,663, a decrease of 35 from the prior week, according to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
Also during the file week that ended April 19, the unadjusted number of continuing claims in Oklahoma totaled 10,160, an increase of 135 from the previous week. For the same file week, the less volatile continued claims fourweek moving average was 10,122, an increase of 43 from the week before.
Officials at the Federal Reserve, the nation’s central bank, are widely expected to keep interest rates steady, at a range of 4.25% to 4.5%, when they announce their next decision on May 7. Since January the Fed has opted against further lowering the prime interest rate.